The Supreme Court of Ghana panel sitting on the 2020 election petition last Friday reminded counsel for the second respondent, lawyer Akoto Ampaw of their status as the ‘law Lords’ by asking him to credit the bench with the knowledge of the law.
Akoto Ampaw in his submission for the dismissal of an application filed by counsel for petitioner John Dramani Mahama to reopen his case made some comments that the panel deemed to be inconsistent with the application filed by Mahama.
Ampaw submitted before the seven-member panel that the petitioner has not provided enough fresh evidence as demanded by the law to warrant a reopening of his case.
He sought to suggest that the subject of litigation which was the reopening of the case for the subpoena of Jean Mensa was adversarial and not inquisitorial.
The court however interjected with Chief Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah stating that “these are general propositions of the law. Credit us with that knowledge of the law”.
The wish of Akoto Ampaw who represents second respondent, Nana AddoDankwa Akufo-Addo was granted as the Supreme Court on Tuesday, February 16, 2021; when they unanimously rejected the application by the petitioner.
The court ruled that the petitioner could not hide under the cloak of reopening their case to subpoena Jean Mensa, the chairperson of the Electoral Commission.
The Chief Justice in reading the ruling said that the counsel for the petitioner hasn’t provided any evidence on how the reopening of the case will affect the ruling on the substantive matter.
Meanwhile the counsels for John Mahama have filed a review of the ruling by the court.
