Two escaped Portugese prisoners awarded Presidential remissions !

Government officials in Portugal are attempting to repair a bureaucratic bungle which has led to two escaped prisoners having their sentences shortened.

It istraditional in Portugal for the President to reduce the sentences of selected prisoners at Christmas, from a list prepared by the Justice Ministry.

But officials apparently were unaware that two of the men chosen from the list - serving sentences for fraud and drug trafficking - had escaped from jail several months earlier.

Under Portugese law, such Presidential decisions cannotbe reversed.

Government experts are now reported to be combing law books, seeking a loophole to rectify the mistake

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service