Politics of Wednesday, 8 May 2013

Source: GNA

Hearing on election dispute continues

Counsel for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Tsatsu Tsikata, is expected to continue with his cross examination of Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, when the Supreme Court reconvenes Wednesday morning to hear the election dispute case currently before the Court.

Before the adjournment of proceedings on Tuesday, the Court had over-ruled an objection raised by Mr Philip Addison, lead Counsel for the petitioners.

Mr Addison had accused Mr Tsikata of introducing and seeking to question the witness on an entirely different pink sheet outside the 11,000 pink sheets the petitioners had submitted to the Court, and wondered whether Mr Tsikata was trying to set out an entirely new case.

Mr Tsikata, however, had insisted that the witness be made to identify the pink sheet he had introduced, as well as proceed to answer the question he had posed.

Justices of the Court after going into deliberation for about half an hour, over-ruled Mr Addison’s objection.

Explaining the Court’s decision, Mr Justice William Atuguba, Presiding Judge, had indicated that in so far as the question objected to sought to portray that there were other pinks sheets with malpractices of the kind in respect of which the witness had testified should be annulled, the objection was over ruled.

Justice Atuguba had, however, added that beyond such composite questions, the line of questioning pursued by Mr Tsikata could not be allowed as much as the third respondent’s turn to testify along that line was yet to come.

Hearing resumes at 0930 hours today.