The seven-member panel of the Supreme Court hearing the 2020 presidential election petition, following a lengthy argument by counsels on Friday, ruled to strike out 7 paragraphs in the petitioner’s witness statement.
The statement was that of the General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, who is the first of two witnesses of the petitioner, John Dramani Mahama.
Lawyer Akoto Ampaw, counsel for the second respondent (President Akufo-Addo) was the first to raise objections, asking the court to strike out ten paragraphs in the witness statement. According to him, they were “not based on the pleadings of the petitioner, unduly prejudicial and scandalous”.
He was opposed by the petitioner’s lead counsel, Lawyer Tsatsu Tsikata, who argued that the objections were preposterous.
Lawyer Justin Amenuvor, lead counsel for the Electoral Commission supported Mr Akoto Ampaw’s objections.
Consequently, the Supreme Court justices ruled to maintain three out of the ten paragraphs objected to, and ruled to expunge the remaining seven.
The paragraphs maintained were paragraphs 21, 32 and 33. The expunged ones are paragraphs 6, 7, 25, 26, 28, 30 and 3.
Source: Ghanaweb