General News of Tuesday, 16 April 2013

Source: Joy Online

Supreme Court adjourns election petition case

The Supreme Court has adjourned hearing of the election petition filed by three leading members of the New Patriotic Party.

The adjournment followed the insistence of the petitioners to be served with copies of the affidavits filed by two of the respondents as earlier agreed by the court.

Lead lawyer for the petitioners Philip Addison also argued the affidavits by the second respondent - the Electoral Commission - is crucial and must be served on the petitioners before hearing.

Before Tuesday's hearing, the President, John Mahama who is the first respondent, and the NDC which is the third, had filed the affidavits but the court was yet to administratively serve the petitioners with copies.

The NDC is said to have filed over 7000 affidavits as against the less than 20 affidavits filed by the NPP.

The Electoral Commission which is the second respondent in the case was however yet to file its own affidavits.

Its Lawyer, James Quashie-Idun told the judges they will file their affidavits later today and implored the judges to begin hearing because the burden of proof was with the petitioners.

Lawyer for the NDC, Tsatsu Tsikata also agreed and prayed the court to begin hearing.

But the judges after recess agreed to adjourn the case to Wednesday to allow for the second respondent to file its own affidavits and for the affidavits by the first and third respondents to be served on the petitioners.