The Supreme Court will return on February 1, 2021, to continue the hearing of the Election Petition case.
This follows a hearing by the 7-member panel today, to hear statements from the first witness presented by the petitioner.
The witness, Johnson Asiedu Nketia who is representing the National Democratic Congress had earlier accused the Electoral Commissioner, Jean Mensa of biases on the biases that she had a familial relationship with the first lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo.
At the witness box during today’s hearing however, 10 paragraphs of Mr. Nketia’s witness statement were objected to by Lawyer for the second respondent, Akoto Ampaw.
Akoto Ampaw noted that the statements by Mahama’s witness in these paragraphs (6, 7, 21, 25, 26, 28, 30, 32, 33 and 37), were scandalous, prejudicial, and not relevant on the pleadings of John Mahama’s Petition document.
Addressing the 7-member panel of Judges presided over by Chief Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah, he said,
“My Lord, we raise objections to certain paragraphs in the [witness] statement. They are not relevant nor based on the pleadings of their [Petitioners] petition, tends to unduly prejudice the party and are scandalous.”
He thus prayed the apex court to strike out the paragraphs.
Out of the 10 paragraphs; the court admitted 3 of them to remain whilst 7 of them were removed in part.
One of them was totally expunged from the witness statement.
Lawyer Akoto Ampaw also cited the National Democratic Congress (NDC) as having held series of press conferences, led by the petitioner, John Mahama, to announce a win of the polls, soon after the results were announced.
Mr. Asiedu Nketia denied having added this to his witness statement whilst noting that he only admitted a win in the parliamentary elections which according to him, could possibly reflect on the presidential elections.
Counsel for Mr. Akufo-Addo then requested that contents of a pendrive attached to the statement be played for the court so that the witness can answer to, a request the court objected to, noting that a different request for that should have been filed.
He then made an oral application in the courtroom, after which the case was adjourned to Monday, February 1, 2021, after some minutes of deliberation
Source: ghanaweb
