The bench won’t be intimidated by unfounded allegations – Justice Dotse

Mr Justice Jones Dotse, Justice of the Supreme Court on Wednesday denied media report allegedly linking him with the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP).

“I have never been a member of the NPP or served as the party’s former Volta Regional Chairman,” Justice Dotse stated during the hearing of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) application to join NPP petition against President John Dramani Mahama and the Electoral Commission over Election 2012 Presidential results.

He said the claims that he was a Regional Chairman of the NPP were untrue and challenged anybody to prove the allegation, adding “I had no time been a member of the NPP and I will rescue myself if any evidence is brought before the court, proving otherwise”.

He said neither I nor the bench would be intimidated by unfounded allegations.

Last week there were allegations by a member of the NDC legal team that one of the judges on the panel had leanings towards the NPP and was onetime Volta Regional Chairman of the NPP.

The NDC member threatened they would demand that judge rescued himself from the controversial election petition case if the NPP went ahead with its threat to ask Justice Williams Atuguba to rescue himself from the case.

The NPP had raised objections to the composition of the panel to hear the joinder application and demanded an in-camera hearing to point out their objections.

They were however asked to make a formal application to the court.

Even though the NPP did not mention the name of the particular judge with respect to the objection, NDC, however, claimed that the objection was against Mr Justice William Atuguba.

NDC alleged that the NPP was raising the objection against Justice Atuguba because of his relationship with Dr Raymond Atuguba, the newly appointed Executive Secretary to President Mahama who is the first respondent in the case.

Source: GNA