The Acting General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party(NPP), John Boadu says the alleged pressure mounted from the governing NDC side which saw President Mahama invoking his Prerogative of Mercy under Article 72 of the 1992 constitution to free the Montie 3 were orchestrated.
The General Scribe of the NPP said Mahama only connived with his Ministers to undermine the authority of the judges, insisting that there was nothing genuine about the show of pressure he acted upon to consider the release of the three.
He claimed a leader with a good intent should have condemned his ministers when they sought to stampede him on using his powers to free their own.
“If the President had warned his Ministers not to wade into the matter by signing the petition they would have stayed clear off, but he sat aloof and watched them do this. Infact this was a ploy set by the NDC from day one in this case; it started with the BNI trying to cover up and all that and it’s a shame to our democracy.” he told host Fiifi Banson in an interview on Anopa Kasapa on Kasapa 102.5 FM.
A free Montie 3 petition was launched and signed by Ministers of state and big guns in the NDC which saw Mahama eventually granting remission of sentence to the three who were convicted on a four-month jail term by the Supreme Court for contempt.
A statement signed by Communications Minister Dr Edward Omane Boamah Monday August 22 said: “The President of the Republic of Ghana, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, has, in consultation with the Council of State and in exercise of his constitutional powers under Article 72 of the Constitution, remitted the remainder of the prison sentence imposed on three persons: Salifu Maase (alias Mugabe), Alistair Nelson and Ako Gunn, who were sentenced to four months’ imprisonment and a fine of GHS10,000.00 each for contempt of court. The remission is effective 26th August, 2016.
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