The Member of Parliament (MP) for the Madina constituency, Francis-Xavier Kojo Sosu, is calling on the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to commute the sentences of persons on death row to life imprisonment.
In a petition to President Akufo-Addo dated October 11, the MP charged the President to exercise his prerogative of mercy to move these persons from the death row.
The appeal, Francis-Xavier, explained follows the passage and assent of Private Member’s Bills to amend the Criminal and Other Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29) and Armed Forces Act, 1962 (Act 105) to substitute life imprisonment for the death penalty.
“I write for and on behalf of all 181 persons currently on death row in respect of the above subject.
I wish to respectfully appeal to your High Office to exercise your prerogative of mercy to commute all persons currently on death sentence to life imprisonment pursuant to the authority granted you under Article 72(1)(c) of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana. Your Excellency, Article 72 (1) (c) of the Constitution of Ghana, 1992 provides as follows: “The President may, acting in consultation with the Council of State-(c) Substitute a less severe form of punishment for a punishment imposed on a person for an offence;…” he said in his petition.
Click to read the petition by Francis-Xavier Sosu
