Lead counsel for petitioners forced to extend cross examination
Mr Philip Addison, lead Counsel for the petitioners in the Supreme Court case was on Tuesday forced to extend his cross-examination of Dr Kwadwo Afari Gyan, witness of the Electoral Commission (EC) after Counsel for the EC had served fresh pink sheets on the witness for re-examination.
The extension follows claims by Dr Afari Gyan that they have new findings with respect to duplication and triplication of serial numbers of polling stations supplied to them by the petitioners.
Mr Addison, who had earlier concluded his cross examination of the witness, was forced to come back again because of the new developments from the witness.
He complained that it would be grossly unfair for the witness to be allowed to prosecute the case behind their backs of the petitioners.
He stated that what Mr James Quarshie Idun, Counsel for the EC was doing amounted to introducing fresh evidence in re-examination.
Mr Addison further stated that the witness cannot hold a piece of paper and mention serial numbers when he had already confirmed the duplicates and triplicates on pink sheets.
Mr Quarshie Idun, who was not perturbed by the accusation, however, pleaded with the court to allow the witness to explain the reason for the duplications of serial numbers.
Dr Afari Gyan explained that the second respondent was given five sets of exhibits and the first three set of pink sheets were triplicates and the last two sets had quadruplicates.
He said the respondent only made a list out of the pink sheets to corroborate their new findings and wishes to tender the list.
Mr Addison at that juncture raised an objection to the tendering of the list and said no proper foundation had been laid.
He said the second respondent has not found it necessary to file any pink sheets at all, so why now, at the tail end of the proceedings, new bundles of pink sheets are being produced.
Mr Quarshie Idun however intervened by saying that the objection from Mr Addison was an attempt to suppress the truth.
He said the witness was just provided with the pink sheets in the court room and cannot immediately cross check the pink sheets in his possession.
Mr Addison however said the witness had already confirmed the serial numbers and accepted that there were triplicates, and wondered why new piles are now being introduced, saying that, it was unacceptable.
Justice William Atuguba, the Presiding judge assured the petitioners that they would be given the opportunity to cross examine the witness again on these new findings.
Earlier, Mr Addison in making reference to an analysis by the petitioners stated that, out of a total of 10,081 polling stations, the total of over-votes amounted to 742,492.
He said out of the 742,492 over votes, 502,013 inured to the benefit of the first respondent and the first Petitioner had 225,115.
He noted that for the total votes affected by no biometric verification the figure stood at 810,827, out of which 558,236 votes went to the first respondent and 234,161 for the first Petitioner.
Mr Addison further stated that, the total votes affected by no signature was 659,135, out of which 447,655 went to the first respondent with 197,628 going to the first petitioner.
He said votes attributed to duplicate serial numbers stood at 3,499,308, with the first respondent getting 2,338,993 and the first Petitioner, 1,093661.
He noted that the total votes for all the irregularities are 3,919,385 votes, out of which 2,612,788 went to the first Respondent and 1,228,229, the first Petitioner.
Dr Afari Gyan in answering denied the assertion by the petitioners, saying that, he had no basis of knowing that.
Source: GNA