[ 2016-08-22 ]

Montie trio deserved Mahama’s mercy – Lawyer
One of the lawyers for the three Montie FM trio
who are serving a four-month prison sentence for
threatening the lives of judges, Godwin Edudzi
Tamakloe, has lauded President John Mahama for
pardoning his clients saying they deserved it.

“…Like any Ghanaian, we are entitled to this
prerogative of mercy and the President had to
exercise it,” he said on Eyewitness News.

President John Mahama on Monday remitted the
four-month sentence given the trio; Alistair
Nelson, Godwin Ako Gunn and Salifu Maase, alias
Mugabe, who had already served one month of their
jail term.

A statement signed by the Minister of
Communication, Edward Omane Boamah, said the
President took the decision in consultation with
the Council of State.

“The decision of His Excellency the President to
remit their sentences on compassionate grounds
follows a petition submitted to him by the
contemnors appealing to the President to exercise
his prerogative of mercy even as they continue to
express deep remorse and regret for the
unacceptable statements they made against the
Judiciary,” the statement said.

Mahama hasn’t undermined the judiciary –
Lawyer

While speaking on Eyewitness News, Edudzi Tamakloe
argued that, President Mahama in triggering the
necessary laws for the pardon has not undermined
the judiciary.

“The action taken by the President cannot in the
remotest sense by any shred of legal reasoning or
imagination amounts to a slap in the face of the
judiciary,” he said.

He was also extremely grateful to the President
for the gesture.

“We are extremely thankful to the President, we
are equally thankful the good people of Ghana. We
are continuing with our sincerest apology to the
entire judiciary and the people of Ghana,” he
added.

Prior to the pardoning, top officials of the
governing National Democratic Congress (NDC)
signed a petition calling on the President to free
the contemnors claiming the sentencing was harsh
and also because they had apologized for their
acts.

Education Minister, Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang,
deputy Education Minister Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa,
the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative
Arts, Elizabeth Ofosu-Agyare, Minister for Gender,
Children and Social Protection, Nana Oye Lithur
and Foreign Affairs Minister, Hanna Tetteh all
endorsed the petition.

Other Ministers including Trade Minister, Ekow
Spio Garbrah and Transport Minister, Fiifi Kwetey
and General Secretary of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu
Nketia all visited the trio in jail.

Source - citifmonline.com

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