IMO, it needs to be outside of a court or court-like system. Generally, it's in the hands of a high ranking official. A president is high enough in the food cha

IMO, it needs to be outside of a court or court-like system. Generally, it's in the hands of a high ranking official. A president is high enough in the food chain to avoid motivations going unnoticed. In any case, aside from motivations, I think this is the sort of case where pardons should be considered. There were a lot of shenanigans. Motivations, political involvement, tactical levers (legal, espionage-ish, diplomatic..) that can't (won't, at least) be revealed. These are the kinds of situations for which pardons exist.