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A group calling itself Concerned Ghanaians has cautioned President John Dramani Mahama against granting presidential pardon to the Montie trio who were jailed for twelve months by the Supreme Court on Wednesday, July 27, 2016 on contempt charges.

According to the group, in a statement signed and issued by its leadership who are Attik Yakubu, Akwasi Twumasi Ankra and Ofei Dei Goodfellow, any such move by the president would be scandalous to the nation, noting that the attack on the judges should be a matter of deep concern to all well-meaning Ghanaians.

The group however, applauded the Supreme Court for the swift response and reaction to the unwarranted attack on the rule of law.

“We also wish to congratulate them (Judges of the Supreme Court) for fair and transparent delivery of justice in this matter. Thanks to them, our democracy has grown a notch higher. No society or government should tolerate or condone threats to kill and rape women.

“…the sentence meanwhile has been described by supporters and fanatics of the trio as harsh. Indeed the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has issued a statement to condemn the sentence,” the group noted.

It stated that as at the time of putting this statement together, party cadres had trooped to the NDC party headquarters in demand for intervention from party leadership to procure the release of the contemnors.

The statement asserted that the latest was a petition book, opened at the premises of Radio Gold, signed by people believed to be members of the ruling party to seek for the intervention of President Dramani Mahama in the conviction of the three.

“As it stands, there are lots of pressures on the president to pardon the convicted trio. It stands to be tested whether this pressure will be able to cure the President of his popular dead goat syndrome.

“…can the President pardon the three? Will the President pardon the three? Should the President pardon the three?

It is not in doubt that the President has power under the 1992 Constitution to pardon them,” the group averred.
 
According to the statement, the decision to exercise that power or not will indubitably affect him (President Mahama )for the rest of his life,” adding that  “We, the Concerned Ghanaians, believe that the only wise decision will be for the President not to pardon the three.”