Mother seeks Presidential pardon

The mother who was jailed for three months for not giving her husband access to their teenage son has asked for a Presiden-tial Pardon. The 57-year-old woman wrote a letter, through her lawyer Leonard Caruana, to President George Abela asking him to issue a pardon as allowed in the Constitution of Malta. A spokeswoman for the President’s office said he had received the letter and had forwarded it to Justice Minister Chris Said “for his consideration and advice”. A petition asking for a pardon to be granted is also being circulated and will be presented to the President within the next few days. The Constitution gives the President the power to “grant to any person concerned in or convicted of any offence a pardon”. The request for the pardon first goes to the Justice Minister and is then referred to Cabinet that advises the President whether or not he should grant it. Moviment Graffitti is also circulating a petition requesting a Presidential Pardon for the woman. Mary Grace Vella, from the movement, said the petition may be put online over the next few days. Two weeks ago the appeals court confirmed a magistrate’s decision to sentence the mother to three months’...