The decision, announced today (Monday) in a statement by the Presidency, was made upon the recommendation of the Prisons Service Council and in consultation with the Council of State, exercising the presidential prerogative of mercy under Article 72(1) of the 1992 Constitution.

Spokesperson to the President and Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu issued the statement confirming the presidential action.

The amnesty covers inmates falling into seven specific categories. 

A total of 787 first-time offenders will be released. 

Furthermore, 87 prisoners currently under sentence of death will have their sentences commuted to life imprisonment, while 51 inmates serving life sentences will have their terms reduced to a definite 20-year sentence.

According to the statement, humanitarian considerations formed a significant part of the decision. 

Thirty-three seriously ill prisoners and thirty-six inmates aged seventy years and above, irrespective of their offence, are included in the amnesty. 

Two nursing mothers are also beneficiaries. Additionally, clemency was granted to two prisoners based on specific petitions considered.

The President approved 998 out of the One Thousand and Fourteen (1,014) inmates recommended for amnesty by the Prisons Service Council. 

The move underscores the application of constitutional mercy provisions aimed at addressing prison congestion and specific humanitarian cases.