# Presidential pardons in Ghana

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/presidential-pardons-in-ghana
> Updated: 2026-10-23T20:28:42.000Z. Sources: 13. Developments: 2.

To commemorate Ghana’s 70th Independence Anniversary, President John Dramani Mahama granted a presidential pardon to 863 convicted persons under Article 72(1) of the 1992 Constitution. The group of beneficiaries included 819 first-time offenders, 13 individuals aged 70 or older, and six seriously ill inmates. The President also commuted 11 death sentences to life imprisonment and reduced the life sentences of six others to 20-year terms.

Following the announcement, discharge ceremonies were held at facilities such as Wa Central Prison. While the amnesty was intended as a nationwide initiative to reduce prison congestion and support reintegration through vocational skills, administrative delays were noted. At Wa Central Prison, some beneficiaries had already been released via the standard one-third sentence discharge rule before the amnesty paperwork arrived.

## Timeline

### 2026-10-23: Wa Central Prison inmates released under President Mahama’s 2026 amnesty

Thirteen first-offender inmates at Wa Central Prison were approved for President Mahama’s 2026 amnesty, though administrative delays meant only three were released at the official ceremony.

7 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/wa-central-prison-inmates-released-under-president-mahamas-2026-amnesty

### 2026-10-05: Ghana President Mahama pardons 863 convicted persons

President John Dramani Mahama has pardoned 863 convicted persons in Ghana to mark the nation’s 70th Independence Anniversary, including the release of 819 first-time offenders.

7 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/ghana-president-mahama-pardons-863-convicted-persons

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Cite as: Presidential pardons in Ghana. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/presidential-pardons-in-ghana