Individuals who have been fighting for the release of Mussa John have commended President Lazarus Chakwera for pardoning the teenager.
John was last year jailed eight years for illegally possessing marijuana but High Court Judge Vikochi Chima reduced the sentence to three years following a public outcry about selective justice.
On Monday, 10th April, nine months later, President Chakwera has pardoned John and 199 other prisoners including former Home Affairs minister Uladi Mussa.
In an interview with this publication, Alexious Kamangila who has been representing the teenager on pro bono basis, said he is very much excited that the teenager is finally out of jail.
Kamangila insisted that the boy never deserved to be in prison and has since urged the general public to support John who has been a breadwinner for his widowed mother who has four children.
“It’s good news and pleasing for such act to benefit the deserving like Mussa. We thank the authorities. The boy is Innocent and should have never been in prison. Perhaps there is need for therapy and community reintegration support for him,” said Kamangila.
Musician Penjani ‘Fredokiss’ Kalua who led fellow youths in a parade that was aimed at forcing authorities to address issues of selective justice in reference to John’s case, wrote on his Facebook page thanking President Chakwera for the gesture.
In a separate Facebook post, Fredokiss also thanked God for causing walls to fall in favour of the teenager, Mussa John.
“Thank you Mr President. Mussa is Free. Thank you God for showing the President the LIGHT. Our God is An Awesome God.
“Now we know, that You (God) made a way. When our backs were against the wall and it looked as if it was over…You (God), Made, a Way….You move mountains, You cause walls to fall, with your Power perform Miracles and We standing here only because You made a way,” said Fredokiss in two different posts.
Kalua last year penned President Chakwera to pardon John but his request was thrown away by Attorney General Thabo Chakaka Nyirenda who said pardoning procedures under pardon guidelines dictate that the inmate to be pardoned should serve at least half of the sentence apart from showing good behaviour.
Mussa John’s custodial sentencing raised eyebrows after it was established that in the same month, a court in the city ordered Castel Malawi Limited’s ex Managing Director, Herve Milhade, to only pay a K1 million fine for cultivating Indian.
Following the passing of a custodial sentence to the teenager John and a non-custodial sentence to Milhade, people spitted venom at the Malawi Judiciary saying it seemed to favour the rich.
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