Tag: Court

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Politics

Court slaps injunction on NDC’s Dec. 20 congress

The Member of Parliament of Afram Plains North, Emmanuel Aboagye Didieye has secure an interlocutory court injunction on the congress of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

The congress slated for December 20 would suffer a setback following the MP’s decision. Mr. Aboagye Didieye claims he was unlawfully disqualified from the race for the National Organiser position of the party.

The General Secretary of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketia last week at a press conference said 6 people including Mr. Aboagye Didieye had withdrawn from the contest, a position he has vehemently denied. The MP later gave an ultimatum to the leadership of the party to reverse statements that he has withdrawn from the race or he’d advice himself.

On Monday December 8, Mr. Dedieye filed a suit in an Accra High Court praying the court to place an interlocutory injunction on the December 20 congress scheduled for Kumasi.

In an interview with TV3, the aggrieved MP said “some people are making an attempt to frustrate me from contesting the position of National Organiser. It started when I went for the vetting and the chairman of the vetting committee [Alban Bagbin] and some others tried to convince me not to contest.”

He further added that “they told me the MP’s who endorsed my forms did not write their party ID card numbers…. Which I protested and they tried emphasizing on that it is basis enough to disqualify me. The next day I heard the General Secretary [Johnson Asiedu Nketia] saying that I have voluntarily withdrawn.”

A very livid Aboagye Didieye said “whether I have been disqualified or not they should tell the court.” He also question “Why is my name not on the allot paper, if they’ve not disqualified me, why is my name not on the ballot paper?”

Responding to the concerns of the Member of Parliament, a Deputy General Secretary of the NDC, George Lawson said the reasons Mr. Didieye was disqualified was because “he was unable to satisfy the requirements on the forms. The MP’s who endorsed his form did not write their party card numbers. It was at the vetting that it was shown to him that those portions of the forms were not completed.”

He also questioned the MP’s decision asking “if he has exhausted all the options in the party to address his concerns. First you’d petition the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party or the vetting committee and there is no 21 days period for the issue to be looked at.”

The Deputy General Secretary said “with the position he has taken, he is digging his own grave. As a Member of Parliament, he should know better and per the party’s constitutions there are sanctions for party members who undertake such decisions.”

By Martin Asiedu-Dartey|3news.com|Ghana

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Politics

The Court is determining whether there were irregularities not mislabeling – Bawumia

Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, lead witness to the petitioners in the ongoing Presidential Election Petition hearings has reminded Counsel for the 3rd respondents, National Democratic Congress (NDC), Tsatsu Tsikata that the issues the Supreme Court is determining border on whether there were irregularities in the conduct of the December Presidential Elections.

According to Dr Bawumia, that is where the Counsel’s concentration should be and not on the mislabelling of exhibits “which do not affect the analysis” or the numbers the petitioners are asking the court to annul.

Dr. Bawumia made the statement on the 9th day of his cross examination by Tsatsu Tsikata who had spent large parts of the day and preceding days concentrating on pointing out to the witness mislabelling and duplication of pink sheet exhibits submitted by the petitioners to the court.

However, as the lead witness has consistently stated, he informed the court that the mislabelling and duplication of exhibits did not affect the analysis of the petitioners and that each polling station was used once in the analysis.

He also reminded the Counsel that the reason why the petition was being heard was to determine whether there were malpractices like over voting, voting without biometric verification, no signature of presiding officers or the use of duplicate serial numbers for different polling stations and that the court was not determining whether there was mislabelling in the exhibits submitted.

Counsel Tsatsu Tsikata like previous days used the sitting on the irregularity identified by the petitioners as the use of duplicate serial numbers for different polling stations and tried to suggest that in the category of exhibits identifying such polling stations, there had been mislabelling and duplications.

Dr. Bawumia acknowledged the mislabelling but informed Tsatsu that the critical issue was whether, indeed, it was the case that the polling stations listed by the petitioners to have been affected by the irregularity of duplicate serial numbers had pink sheets with same serial numbers as other polling stations which had inevitably called into question the integrity of the polls in those polling stations as the security of the sheets had been breached.

He tasked the Counsel for the NDC not to hide behind mislabelings and make accusations of double counting and to look at the analysis which showed no double counting if he was not afraid of the truth of there being no duplication or padding in the analysis as the Counsel tries to suggest.

On the significance of the occurrence of duplicate serial numbers which had been downplayed by the Counsel, Dr. Bawumia disagreed and said the issue of unique serial numbers which had been breached was very important and that till date the 2nd respondent had not been able to come out with a tenable rationale for printing two sets of pink sheets for only the presidential election and going ahead to release all two sets for the elections.

He added that the use of duplicate serial numbers was very clever and difficult to detect. He said that the issue of duplicate serial numbers could not be detected by polling agents or observers and that it was only through the use of computer programmes that the irregularity could be unearthed.


Source: NPP Communications Directorate

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Politics

NPP Constituency Chairman in court over Turkey gold scandal

A third suspect allegedly involved in the exportation of the 1,500 kg of gold to Turkey on Friday appeared before an Accra Circuit Court.

Joseph Kwame Donkor, a New Patriotic Party (NPP) Constituency Chairman for Agona West has been charged with two counts of abetment.

Donkor is accused of assisting Peter Kofi Bedzra to export gold to Turkey. He has denied the charges and the court presided over by Mrs Patience Tetteh Mills admitted him to bail.

Donkor was granted bail in the sum of GHC 100,000 with two sureties with one to be justified. He is to report once a week to the Bureau of National Investigations.

He is to re-appear on April 8.

Donkor’s appearance before the court brings the number of people arrested to three.

Peter Kofi Bedzra and Frank Mould have earlier been put before the same court.

Bedzra being held for forgery of documents, exportation and smuggling of minerals has denied the charge and is on GHC100,000 with two sureties.

Mould, a clearing agent, had been remanded after pleading not guilty to altering of forged documents and abetment of crime.

Earlier Mr Teye Azu, Counsel for Donkor prayed the court to admit his client to bail as he was known and that he was the NPP Chairman for Agona West therefore would not escape.

Prosecuting, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Abraham A. Annor, told the court that Mould operated at the Kotoka International Airport.

In December last year, one Valid Moradi Moghaddam and his partners, all Arabs, were in Ghana to buy gold.

Prosecution said they came into contact with Omanye Gold Mining Limited, who sold to them a quantity of gold weighing 1.5 tonnes valued at $52 million.

Prosecution said the buyers packed the gold in 30 boxes to be exported to Dubai.

Mould, prosecution said, with intent to evade the requirement of the law, assisted Peter Kofi Bedzra to forge a Geological Survey Department certificate, a Bank of Ghana Foreign Exchange Form 4(a) and Goods Movement Certificate.

The three certificates enabled the movement of 30 boxes of gold to go through customs and other security checks at KIA and the gold bars were exported to Dubai on December 31, 2012.

Further investigation had disclosed that on December 29, last year a chartered flight arrived to carry the consignment to Dubai.

Donkor is said to have had knowledge of the arrival of the flight and as such made hotel reservation at Golden Tulip for seven crew members and paid for their bills.

Prosecution said on December 31, last year, Bedzra and one Believer together with others went to KIA to see to it that Mould processed the consignment for export.

Donkor kept communicating with Believer on phone until 2230 hours when the plane left the shore of Ghana with the 30 boxes of gold.

However the gold was intercepted and detained at Turkey because the documents accompanying the gold were not genuine. The documents include a Geological Survey Department certificate, bank of Ghana Foreign Exchange Form 4(a) and Gold Movement Certificate to facilitate the export of 1,500 kg.

Following an accusation that the government of Ghana was involved in the gold scandal, it ordered the BNI to commence investigations into the matter.

Source: GNA

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Politics

Election 2012 Petition: Court dismisses application by 327 voters to be joined

The Supreme Court has dismissed an application brought before it by 327 voters in the 11,916 polling stations cited in the petition filed on December 28, 2013.

The petitioners are Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who stood for elections as presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, his running mate, and Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, the chairman of the party whose flag Nana Addo bore.

Between 300 and 400 voters believed to be sympathizers of the NDC filed an application to be joined to the case, our correspondent says.

Roland Walker, who was in court on Thursday, reported earlier that Justice Dotse, a member of the nine-judge panel, advised counsel for the voters to follow due procedure in filing the joinder application.

However, the panel ruled by a majority decision that the 327 voters will unduly delay hearing of the substantive petition as adduced by the petitioners.

 
Source: 3news.com|Ghana

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Politics

Declare 123 NPP seats vacant – 3 pray to court

Three persons have dragged the New Patriotic Party’s Members of Parliament (MPs) to the Supreme Court for their actions which “we think is a clear breach of the Constitution”.

Sam George, Sumaila Bielbiel and George Spencer Quaye’s writ is to seek interpretation on some articles of the 1992 Constitution – including Articles 48, 63, 78, 100, 103, 125 and 127.

Speaking on TV3’s late night news analysis programme News @ 10 on Wednesday, Spencer Quaye, who is also a member of the National Democratic Congress’ communications team, said the Minority’s actions seem to suggest that there is no president in the country.

“The Minority MP’s do not legitimize the president of the country,” he said.

He said their actions seem to be supporting the petitioners, who are recognized as individuals in the suit challenging the 2012 Election results at the Supreme Court.

“They seem to be lending credence to the three petitioners,” he mentioned to host Bright Nana Amfoh.

The NDC Communications team member noted that their writ is to pray to the Supreme Court to declare the Minority MPs’ 123 seats vacant since “they have demonstrated that they are not willing to work”.

“We are asking the Supreme Court to declare the 123 seats vacant,” he stressed.

He stated that he found it difficult to understand how the Minority Leader, Osei-Kyei mensah-Bonsu, could tell Ghanaians that the Minority MPs will return to Parliament when they so wish.

According Spencer Quaye, they have a mandate to serve their constituents, some of whom are NDC members.

“It means almost GH¢1million a month is going waste,” he said of the total salary the 123 Minority MPs receive monthly.


Source: 3news.com|Ghana

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Politics

Minority’s walkout betrays their Election Petition in court – Odike

2012 Flagbearer of the United Front Party (UFP) Akwasi ‘Odike’ Addai has described the walkout staged by the Minority prior to President John Dramani Mahama’s state of the nation address as betrayal of the Election Petition three leading members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has filed at the Supreme Court.

He also added that it is a betrayal of the titles of Minority members as ‘honourables’.

Speaking to TV3’s Hubert Osei Welbeck immediately after President Mahama delivered his address in Parliament on Thursday, Odike, who came last in the 2012 Presidential Elections after polling 0.08 per cent of the total valid votes cast, said the Minority’s action does not augur well for nation-building.

“It doesn’t augur well for nation building,” he said.

“It is not NPP that is in court. It is Nana Akufo-Addo, Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey and [Dr Mahamudu] Bawumia,” he stressed.

“It betrays their titles as honourables because they represent people at the constituency level and so [it is] not good for them to boycott this national event.”

According to the private businessman, the party’s stance on decisions taken by President Mahama is an indictment on the petition its leading members have filed at the Court.

“For the party to take such a stance betrays even their case before the court.”


Source: 3news.com|Ghana

Categories
Politics

PPP goes to court over campaign vehicle

The Progressive Peoples Party (PPP) is in court to recover its Toyota Tundra vehicle with registration number “GC 3706 12” in the custody of Madam Akua Donkor, Flagbearer of the Ghana Freedom Party (GFP).

It had been given to her to canvass for votes for the PPP in the December 7 elections, after she had failed in her bid to file her nomination with the Electoral Commission (EC) to contest the presidential poll.

The said vehicle has sparked a row between Madam Donkor and the party as she has publicly vowed not to return it to the owners, claiming it had been given out to her as gift.

The PPP would, however, not let it go culminating in an application to the Kumasi Circuit Court Three presided over by Mr Justice D.W.P. Amedior, to compel her to return it.

Mr Oheneba Kuffuor, a Kumasi-based lawyer, is representing the plaintiff.

Documents on the vehicle show that it is owned by the Coconut Groove Hotel, operated by Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom, the PPP’s Presidential Candidate.

The plaintiffs contend that the decision by the defendant to keep the vehicle is illegal and wrongful.

They want the court to intervene to prevent Madam Donkor from causing irreparable damage to the vehicle.

Mr Justice amedior directed that a copy of the writ must be served on her for her to respond.

 

Source: GNA