The President of the Republic, Filipe Nyusi, announced last Thursday (19) that he had decided to grant pardons to 1119 convicts in prisons throughout the country, with effect from today, Sunday.

Of this presidential pardon, according to the newspaper Letter from MozambiqueAmong the beneficiaries are eight defendants convicted in the "hidden debts" case. They are Ângela Leão, António Carlos do Rosário, Bruno Tandane Langa, Cipriano Mutota, Fabião Mabunda, Gregório Leão, Ndambi Guebuza and Teófilo Nhangumele.

According to the Mozambican statesman, of the total pardoned, 919 received the "presidential pardon" for having completed half their sentence, others for having been sentenced to prison for up to a year and one prisoner for suffering from a serious illness.

"This is the group of our compatriots who meet the necessary requirements to benefit from this exceptional measure," said the Mozambican head of state.

The pardon decree will be read out by the Minister of Justice, Constitutional and Religious Affairs, Helena Kida, who has visited Lingamo Prison several times, where most of the defendants are being held. Three of the defendants, namely Ângela Leão, Cipriano Mutota and Fabião Mabunda, have already served half their sentence and the parole process always begins three months before the relevant date.

However, the release of those pardoned, which was due to take place today, has been postponed until tomorrow, Monday, because the pardon decision has not yet been published in the Official Gazette.

(Photo DR)