Hon. Mbow Pushes Bill to Enhance Transparency of Presidential Pardons
Hon. Alhagie Mbow of Upper Saloum © GPN
By Askanwi Media
Yesterday, 7th July 2026, Askanwi Media published the list of 105 prisoners pardoned by President Adama Barrow on the occasion of Yawm al-Ashura, although the offences for which they were convicted were not disclosed. Our reporter has since received a crucial update that a Private Member's Bill currently before Parliament seeks to regulate this process and require the offences of all persons granted a pardon to be published in the Gazette.
The Private Member's Bill is being championed by Hon. Alhagie Mbow, the National Assembly Member for Upper Saloum from the National Reconciliation Party, who is currently aligned with the Majority Caucus. No stranger to sponsoring Private Member's Bills, Hon. Mbow previously successfully championed a Constitutional Amendment Bill that increased the period Parliament has to scrutinise the national budget from 30 days to 60 days.
The Prerogative of Mercy Bill, 2025, is currently at the consideration stage, the final stage before Parliament either approves or rejects it. The Bill seeks to "provide the legal framework for determining how the Committee members are selected and how convicts or their family members can make an application for the exercise of the prerogative of mercy”.
Currently, the 1997 Constitution gives the President the power to grant "pardons to convicts deserving early release from prison or substitute a less severe form of punishment imposed on any person”.
According to the Objects and Reasons of the Bill, "Section 82 of the Constitution of the Republic of The Gambia, 1997 provides for the President to grant such pardons after consultation with the Committee on the Exercise of Mercy, but it does not detail how all the Committee members are selected, nor does it explain how the petition for mercy process is initiated”.
One of the key concerns consistently raised by members of the public is the lack of transparency surrounding presidential pardons. Currently, the government only announces the total number of prisoners pardoned, without disclosing their names, ages, nationalities, offences, or the length of time they have served. The Bill championed by Hon. Mbow seeks to change this by requiring all notices of pardon to be published in accordance with the following guidelines:
GUIDELINES ON THE CONTENTS OF NOTICES OF PARDON
Particulars of the person granted a pardon.
The last known address in The Gambia of the person granted a pardon.
The age and nationality of the person granted a pardon.
The nature and particulars of the offence for which the person has been granted a pardon.
The length of time the person granted a pardon served in remand before the pardon was granted.
Any other relevant information the Committee considers appropriate to include.
Below is a link to Askanwi Media expose detailing the names, ages and nationality of the 105 prisoners pardoned by President Adama Barrow. https://www.askanwi.com/feature-publications/askanwi-expos-names-and-nationality-of-105-prisoners-pardoned-by-president-adama-barrow
