A significant controversy has emerged in Suriname surrounding a pardon request submitted by attorney Irvin Kanhai on behalf of four convicts in the high-profile 8 December case. The request, filed on September 17, 2025, with the President’s Cabinet, involves Stefanus Dendoe, Ernst Gefferie, Benny Brondenstein, and the fugitive Iwan Dijksteel. While Kanhai has provided evidence of submission, including a receipt shown to journalists, President Jennifer Simons claimed during a tribute event for the late NDP leader Desi Bouterse that she was unaware of any such request, stating it had not officially reached her. The situation escalated on Wednesday when a statement surfaced, allegedly signed by Dendoe, Gefferie, and Brondenstein, explicitly distancing themselves from the pardon petition. The statement, dated October 11, 2025, asserts that they never authorized Kanhai or anyone else to file the request on their behalf. The three convicts, currently in the medical ward of the Santo Boma penitentiary, have raised questions about the legitimacy of the request and their representation. The issue has sparked intense reactions across society and politics, with NDP Vice Chairman Ramon Abrahams suggesting that the matter had been previously discussed within the party, emphasizing the public’s will as reflected in recent elections. Kanhai has declined to comment, leaving the validity of the pardon request and its initiator unclear. The case threatens to become a sensitive political and legal issue, particularly as the four convicts are notably absent from the list of detainees set to receive pardons for Suriname’s 50th Independence Day.