NPP legal team must apologise to Supreme Court, Monday, January 14, 2013 ( Front page)
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| Nana Ato Dadzie |
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| Justice William Atuguba |
Speaking to the Daily Graphic in connection with the comment he made on Joy FM Saturday, Nana Dadzie said “the NPP would have been gravely unfair and done extreme injustice to Justice Atuguba and the judiciary as a whole if it fails to apologise.”
Legal teams of both parties had met last Thursday to ‘lock legal horns’ for and against NDC’s application to join the case but that could not come on as counsel for the NPP had an issue with the composition of the panel.
The matter was adjourned to enable lawyers for the petitioners to file a formal application stating why they objected to the composition of the nine-member panel.
The NPP did not state reasons for their objections but it is weidely believed that it is because of Justice Atuguba who is a cousin of President John Mahama's newly appointed Executive Secretary
The nine-member court was made up of Mr Justice William Atuguba (Presiding), Mr Justice Julius Ansah, Mrs Justice Sophia Adinyira, Ms Justice Rose Owusu, Mr Justice Jones Dotse, Mr Justice Annin Yeboah, Mr Justice P. Baffoe-Bonnie, Mr Justice G. S. Gbadegbe and Mrs Justice Vida Akoto-Bamfo.
But the next day, the NPP retreated. The Party in a letter addressed to the Registrar of the Supreme Court stated its decision not to continue its earlier objection so as to ensure a speedy determination of its substantive petition before the court.
According to Nana Dadzie, the NPP was given the opportunity to prove its case after it made allegations that could injure the reputation of the judges but it failed to do so but decided to back out.
That, he stated in addition to the utterances of the Member of Parliament for Tema East, Daniel Nii Kwartei Titus –Glover before the Court sat and that of the General Secretary of the NPP, Mr Kwadwo Owusu-Afriyie who allegedly threatened to expose Justice Atuguba, warrants an apology to the highest court of the land.
On Joy FM on Saturday, Nana Dadzie argued that “If you’ve changed your mind, the proper thing to do is to go before the nine judges and said Lord we are on our knees, we apologise.....That is the more honorable thing to do.”
The procedure used by the NPP to withdraw its objection did not sit well with the former Chief of Staff in the Rawlings regime.
“You will have to ask the registrar, by way of a letter, to have the court sit and then you bring a formal application withdrawing your objection... what happens to the written order? There must be record that the written order itself has been revoked, he stated.
A former First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Prof Mike Oquaye, accused the NDC of turning the events of last Thursday into a propaganda exercise.
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| Prof Mike Oquaye |
He also accused the NDC of twisting the facts concerning the NPP’s decision to have the issue of its objection to the Supreme Court panel held in camera adding that the NDC did not behave professionally.
“When such statements are made, abandoned, ran away, now they want to cause delay… then you are creating by propaganda, falsehood, that pollute the atmosphere. I must say this with all seriousness, especially when it comes from lawyers. I think we as professionals, we must take away the propaganda, and do the thing professionally and advocate the professional position in public.”
With the NPP withdrawing its objection, it is not clear when the Supreme Court will resume its sitting to hear the NDC joinder as the Court adjourned its sitting indefinitely.
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