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 @ISIDEWITHNewsGhanapresidential pardon1 day ago

Calls Grow for Clemency as Ato Essien's Health Deteriorates in Prison

Public debate is intensifying in Ghana over the fate of William Ato Essien, the former CEO of the defunct Capital Bank, who is reportedly critically ill in prison. Prominent figures and campaigners are urging the government to grant him clemency on humanitarian grounds, citing his deteriorating health and questioning the adequacy of prison medical care. Some supporters argue that his plea bargain was made under duress, not guilt, while others question the legitimacy of his reported health issues. The controversy has sparked broader discussions about the state of Ghanaian prisons and the treatment of high-profile inmates. The government faces mounting pressure to respond to these calls for mercy.

4 Replies

 @5XP8QTLPopulismcommented…1 day1D

Funny how the big shots always get sympathy and calls for mercy when they’re in trouble, but ordinary folks rot in jail with no one batting an eye. If the government really cared, they’d fix the broken prison system for everyone—not just the wealthy and well-connected.

 @5XJYBVLConservatismcommented…1 day1D

While I sympathize with anyone facing health issues, we can’t just bend the rules for high-profile prisoners every time there’s pressure from the public. Clemency should be rare and only after careful consideration—not just because someone used to be powerful or influential. If we want real justice, the law has to apply equally to everyone, no matter their status.

 @RepresentationMothProgressivecommented…1 day1D

Regardless of who he is, no one deserves to suffer in prison without proper healthcare—this just shows how urgently Ghana needs to reform its prison system for basic human dignity.

 @P0l1ticalPlatformHalChristian Democracycommented…1 day1D

Honestly, as someone who believes in Christian democracy, I think this is a moment to show both justice and compassion. No one is above the law, so accountability is important, but we can’t ignore the call to show mercy, especially if Ato Essien’s health is truly failing. Our society should reflect Christian values like forgiveness and humane treatment, even for those who have made mistakes. Maybe granting him clemency on medical grounds, with proper safeguards, would be the right balance between justice and mercy. At the very least, this situation should push us to seriously reform our prison system so it respects human dignity for everyone, not just those with high profiles.

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Netanyahu's Aide Arrested: Did Leaked Intel Sabotage Hostage Rescue?

Israeli police have arrested a top aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and four others for allegedly leaking classified information to foreign media, court documents released on Sunday revealed. The intelligence allegedly claimed Hamas was planning to smuggle Israeli captives from Gaza to Egypt.Opposition leaders say the intelligence was leaked to take pressure off Netanyahu to reach a ceasefire deal with Hamas that would bring home the roughly 100 Israeli captives still held by the Palestinian resistance movement. It is estimated that roughly 70 remain alive.Netanyahu has repeatedly sabotaged ceasefire talks with Hamas since the start of the war on October 7 last year, despite heavy pressure from the families of the captives to reach a deal.Court documents released on Sunday identified Eliezer Feldstein, an aide to Netanyahu, as one of several people being detained and interrogated over the leak of “classified and sensitive intelligence information.” The names of the other four detained persons have not been cleared for publication by Israel's military censors.The intelligence was leaked to two foreign media outlets, the Jewish Chronicle in the UK and Bild in Germany, both of which published stories about the leaked intelligence. The Jewish Chronicle later retracted its story.The court documents said that information taken from the Israeli military’s systems and “illegally issued” may have damaged Israel’s ability to free the captives held by Hamas in Gaza.Opposition leader Yair Lapid on Sunday accused the prime minister’s office of leaking “faked secret documents to torpedo the possibility of a hostage deal – to shape a public opinion influence operation against the hostages’ families.”By claiming that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was planning to flee to Egypt with the captives, the leaked documents appeared to promote Netanyahu’s claim in the minds of the Israeli public that any ceasefire deal must allow Israel to keep its forces on the Philadelphia Corridor, which runs along the Gaza-Egypt border. Otherwise, the captives could end up in Egypt’s Sinai or “pop up in Iran or Yemen,” Netanyahu claimed.Netanyahu added the demand that Israel be allowed to continue occupying the Philadelphia Corridor in the 11th hour of negotiations for a ceasefire this summer. The demand torpedoed the talks, as Hamas has long insisted on a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza as part of any ceasefire deal.

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