Following the Press Release issued out yesterday the 17th January 2022 that the President has instituted an investigation leading to the process why Baimba Moiforay aka LAC was granted pardon on the 1st January 2021 and that the President has revoke his Pardon, the Presidential Spokesperson, Yusuf Keketoma Sandi, has disclose on Radio Democracy why the president acted in the public interest.

According to Yusuf Keketoma Sandi, the President, Julius Maada Bio had acted on the advice of the mercy committee in the pardoning of 43 inmates from which LAC was part of. He added that section 63 sub section 1 of the constitution makes provision for the president to act on the advice of a Mercy Committee, so when the Mercy committee submitted 160 inmates and recommended to change the death sentences of 117 inmates to life imprisonment and to grant pardon to the remaining 43 inmates, he accepted and acted upon it.

He continued that, due to the concerns raised by the people, they realised that the process leading to the pardon was faulty and irregular, which was why the president decided to revoke his pardon and instituted an investigation on the faulty process leading to the pardon of LAC

Responding to the question of whether the Mercy Committee normally provides background of the people contained in the list they present to the president, the Presidential spokesperson affirmed that the Committee normally present list of inmates and advice the president to pardon after they had scrutinize and follow due process, so the president just need to exercise his constitutional right, as he is not in the position to investigate each and every inmate in the list.

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