President Lazarus Chakwera has pardoned 499 prisoners in a bid to reduce congestion in prisons amid the Coronavirus pandemic.
The development comes barely two days after Leader of Opposition Honourbale Kondwani Nankhumwa issued a strong press statement on some of the mitigation suggestions to Tonse Government in the context of Covid-19. One of the suggestions was on the need to de-congest prisons by releasing some prisoners with minor cases.
Minister of Homeland Security Richard Chimwendo Banda has confirmed that the prisoners have been released.
Recently, the Malawi Prison Service said 107 inmates and 21 members of staff at prisons across the country had tested positive for Covid-19.
Releasing criminals to cause havoc in our residential areas in the name of preventing covid in prisons is not a good ideal.
You are trying to solve the covid issue but creating a security issue in our homes at the same time….these criminals were locked up by a court of law for a reason.
Do not be surprised when you see an increase in the crime rate over the next few weeks in our cities …..because the criminals you have released can not get a day job due to the pandemic situation and yet they will have to feed themselves somehow ….
Criminals need to be locked up away from ordinary and decent Malawians despite the covid situation……the solution is to increase the capacity of our prisons.