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Former President John Dramani Mahama has described as draconian the punishment meted out to a pastor and some church workers who flouted the laws of the Covid-19 issued by President Akufo-Addo to contain the spread of the infection.

He added that individual including churches have been going through hard times due to the coronavirus pandemic; thus, in order to prevent the country from the rising infection of the coronavirus, the restriction of individuals and collective freedoms in the interest of curbing a pandemic became necessary.

According to him, the outcome of the restrictions have not been pleasant as the law has not treated Ghanaians equally to the extent that political parties flout the same law and get away with it and yet when the church flouts it the punishment is very heavy draconian.

“Today, all of us are sitting and wearing masks because we want to prevent our country from the rising infection of the coronavirus and so a restriction of our individual and collective freedoms in the interest of curbing a pandemic is necessary but sometimes I dare say some of the outcomes have not been the most pleasant because we are all equal before the law”.

“It should not be possible for political parties to flout that same law and get away with it and yet when the church flouts the law the punishment is very heavy and draconian,” he voiced out at Keta Krachi in the Oti Region before a gathering.

Buttressing his point on selective justice when it comes to the application of the COVID-19 law, the NDC Flagbearer bemoaned why a pastor and some church workers are still languishing in jail for 4 years for flouting the same law that some members of the NPP flouted with impunity but got away with it.

“ . . we have Christian colleagues and a Pastor and some church workers languishing in jail. They were sentenced to jail for 4 years. I believe that that is a very draconian punishment and we must all abide by the law, that is true but we don’t engage in selective justice where you apply the law heavily on church workers who flout the law and yet during primaries people were seen flouting the law with impunity; gatherings were not supposed to be about a certain number and yet we saw huge numbers not observing any social protocols and nothing happened to them”.

“I think that the church workers who flouted the rule and were sentenced have borne punishment enough and if I were your President I would grant them some amnesty and so we all appeal to the President if there is a remission of sentence for these church workers, I think that they have learned their lessons and I think he should apply his power of clemency and release them,” he pleaded.