Supreme Court of Justice leader Dr Jorge Subero Isa commented that former President Hipolito Mejia acted with prudence by not signing the pardons of approximately 500 prisoners who expected to be released on 16 August. While Dominican presidents are authorized by law to pardon prison inmates three times a year, Subero Isa said that the practice of authorizing massive pardons carried out during the Mejia administration was counterproductive. The hopeful prisoners were taken to a mass at a La Feria church, where they were informed they would not be pardoned after all. The former President explained that he had decided not to uphold the pardons so as to avoid yet another scandal at the close of his administration, given the widespread claims that certain among those included were not eligible for pardons.