President Ramkalawan appoints new members of the Advisory Committee on the Power of Pardon |22 December 2021

The four new members of the Advisory Committee on the Power of Pardon in a souvenir photograph with President Ramkalawan after they had been presented with their instrument of appointment. Absent is Mr Louise (Photo: Louis Toussaint)

President Wavel Ramkalwan has appointed new members of the Advisory Committee on the Power of Pardon.

The chairman of the committee is Jude Fred and the other members are Lucy Athanasius, Beryl Dodin, Chetina Saunders and Raymond Louise.

Mr Fred, Ms Athanasius, Ms Dodin and Saunders were presented with their instrument of appointment by President Ramkalawan in a short ceremony held at State House yesterday morning in the presence of Vice-President Ahmed Afif, the secretary of state for cabinet affairs Mohammed Afif, members of the Constitutional Appointment Authority (CAA), among other distinguished guests.

As for Mr Louise, he was not present at yesterday’s ceremony at State House. He is already serving a seven-year mandate as a member of the Advisory Committee on the Power of Pardon following his appointment on November 27, 2017.

The committee is established by Article 60(1) of the Constitution of the Republic of Seychelles, and its functions are to advise the President on the release of prisoners, on reducing the duration, severity or other conditions of sentences imposed on prisoners.

The members of the advisory committee were appointed from candidates proposed by CAA as prescribed under the article. Their appointment is for seven years.

Addressing everyone present for the occasion, President Ramkalawan said that giving a person a second chance offers that individual the opportunity to recognise his or her mistakes and that the power to grant pardon is one of the most difficult and enormous responsibility which demands lots of reflection and wisdom when dealing with a person going to meet and be reunited with members of his or her family for the first time after a long absence because of the mistake he or she had committed.

“The second chance element is very important for us as human beings. If we did not have a second chance in life and at times even a third chance, we would not have been where we are today,” President Ramkalawan said.

He explained that Article 60(1) of the Constitution gives a sentenced prisoner the possibility for a second chance or a third chance to integrate in society through a request letter addressed to the committee stating that he or she has changed his or her life.

He added that, without his interference, it is the committee that has the task of having to do their research on the applicant before advising him or her to sign the pardon request. 

Citing some extracts from Article 60(1) in the Constitution, President Ramkalawan said the President may, after obtaining the advice of the Advisory Committee appointed under Article 61, grant to any person convicted of any offence a pardon, either free or subject to lawful conditions; grant to any person a respite, either indefinite or for a specified period of the execution of any punishment imposed on that person for any offence; substitute a less severe form of punishment for any punishment imposed on any person for any offence; or remit the whole or part of any punishment imposed on any person for any offence or of any penalty or forfeiture otherwise due to the Republic on account of any offence.

As he and members of the committee are sometimes accused or criticised for supporting thieves and other criminals and to set them free, President Ramkalawan called on the media and other people to seriously take into account what has been defined in Article 60(1) of the Constitution in relation to the Advisory Committee on the Power of Pardon.

President Ramkalawan also called on the committee to put aside personal opinions and to do away with what other people will say or will think of them so as to make the right decisions in their judgment to grant pardon.

He also urged them to be pro-active and to work with other institutions to get their advice and guidance especially on new laws, such as for a parole system, as that will help cut down on criminal activities to move the country forward.

President Ramkalawan went on to thank members of the committee for coming forward to help other people to get a second chance in life and wished them all the best in their reflection. 

To the CAA, he commended them for having undertaken a profound research for qualified candidates, best suitable to advise him on pardoning prisoners, among other matters.

He also thanked the previous committee led by its chairperson Linda William Melanie for its contributions in the past seven years. Mrs William Melanie has served as chairperson of the committee for two consecutive terms.

Mr Fred later said that the committee will be meeting soon to discuss the way forward especially in relation to Article 60(1) of the Constitution that addresses guidelines relating to pardon under the act.

Patrick Joubert