BY FESTON MALEKEZO:
Eighteen days after Malawi held Independence Day celebrations, President Peter Mutharika is yet to pardon prisoners.
Instead, The Daily Times understands that officials in Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security are set to meet with representatives of other ministries this week to deliberate on the process of shortlisting prisoners to be considered for pardon by the President.
Home Affairs Minister, Cecelia Chazama, said a quorum of a committee tasked for the process could not be formed as other members were not available.
The quorum would comprise Ministers of Justice, Education, and Home Affairs as well as principal secretaries in the ministries, the Attorney General and heads of Malawi Prison Service departments.
“We have not yet met to discuss and shortlist prisoners to be considered for pardon. But I am hopeful that the meeting will take place this week because some members of the committee have confirmed. We could not convene a meeting all along because some of the members were sick while others were abroad,” Chazama said.
Chazama said well-behaved prisoners and those that have served 75 percent of their jail terms would be considered.
Meanwhile, Centre for Human Rights Education Advice and Assistance Executive Director, Victor Mhango, said the pardoning of prisoners decongests prisons.
“Our prisons are over-congested and there is that need for the President to pardon some. Of course, we cannot push him to do it. If you remember, last year, some civil society organisations wrote the president to consider decongesting the prisons and he agreed,” Mhango said.
Malawi has over 13,000 prisoners against a space capacity of 7,000 in 23 prisons.
Traditionally, State presidents pardon prisoners on public holidays such as Christmas and Independence days.
Last year, Mutharika pardoned 378 prisoners during Independence Day celebrations.
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