Kufuor grants amnesty to 1,206 prisoners

Accra, March 5, GNA – President John Agyekum Kufuor has granted
amnesty to 1,203 prisoners on humanitarian grounds in commemoration of
the Golden Jubilee of independence, the Minister of the Interior
Albert Kan-Dapaah said in a statement on Monday.
The statement said 1,150 first offenders who had served half or
more of their sentences were to be released outright.
Eleven 11 prisoners who were seriously ill and incapacitated and
would not pose any threat to society, three aged prisoners who were
over 70 years of age and weak and would not constitute any threat to
society and, two nursing mothers who had had a character change and
one prisoner serving the President's Pleasure were also to be released
outright, the statement said.
It said 36 on death row had their sentences commuted to life
sentence while three prisoners on life sentence had their sentences
commuted to a definite term of 20 years.
5 March 06