Presidential pardons and the prerogative of mercy are traditional leadership instruments recognised across the world and used by leaders to give deserving citizens a second chance at life after serving part of their sentence. The pardoning power is an important aspect of executive authority, providing a means to dispense the mercy of the government when the law’s rigidity may produce a morally unjust outcome. It exists to protect citizens from miscarriages of justice, errors in judgment, or punishment that exceeds fairness and reason.