“Shut up!” – Tsatsu shouts at Addison

Tsatsu TsikataTsatsu TsikataCounsel for the National Democratic Congress in the election petition hearing before the Supreme Court, Mr Tsatsu Tsikata at the resumed sitting of the court on Monday yelled at lead counsel for the petitioners, Mr Philip Addison to “shut up” when the latter interrupted his cross examination of Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, star witness for the petitioners.

 “Can you shut up” Tsatsu Tsikata yelled at Mr Addison.
 
Mr Tsikata’s explosion followed attempts by Mr Addison to object to the third respondent counsel’s line of questioning Dr Bawumia with regard to the people who were present at the time the petitioners deposed to their affidavits before a Commissioner of Oaths, which they tendered in support of their evidence.

Mr Addison had demanded that Mr Tsikata withdraw the use of the phrase “shut up”, but that was to no avail.

It was the fourth day Mr Tsikata was cross-examining Dr Bawumia in the hearing of the election petition which entered the 11th day on Monday.

The 2012 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party,(NPP) Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his two co-petitioners including his running mate Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, and the party’s National Chairman, Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, are challenging the declaration of President John Mahama as winner of the December 2012 elections.

They are praying the Supreme Court to annul results from 11,138 polling stations, where they claim there were voting without biometric verification, over voting or irregularities.

Mr Tsikata, who was continuing with cross examination of the witness had made a case on the failure by the Commissioner of Oath to sign and stamp copies of pink sheet exhibits and had asked the witness if he was present throughout the affidavit deposition process.

Counsel had insisted that about 70 per cent of the exhibits brought by the petitioners were not stamped and the petitioners submitted to the court a jumble of papers with mis-labelings, duplications and quadruplications.”

Mr Tsikata seemed not to understand why Dr Bawumia who claimed to be present during the stamping and signing by the Commissioner of Oath could not tell the court what exhibit number was on a particular pink sheet exhibit.

Dr Bawumia said the exhibit number was generated by different people and it was at this point that Mr Tsikata demanded from the witness to mention at least two people who gave the exhibit numbers and who were present during signing and stamping by the Commissioner of Oath.

Dr Bawumia in his answer mentioned Akoto Ampaw and Gloria Akuffo.

At this point, counsel for the petitioners Mr Addison demanded the relevance of the question being asked of his witness.

He said asking the witness to name who were present during the stamping was not relevant to the court and insisted asking the witness to divulge issues that went on between himself and his counsel is unethical and must not be allowed by the court.

It was at this point that tempers went up and Mr Tsikata asked Mr Addison to “shut up” so he could continue with his submissions.

Mr Addison pleaded with the bench to speak to counsel to tone down on his language otherwise they were capable of responding in like manner.

Counsel for the first respondent Mr Tony Lithur defended the relevance of the question by Mr Tsikata.

The presiding Judge Justice William Atuguba stepped in to calm tempers and after conferring with members of the panel, ruled to sustain the objection by the petitioners.

Mr Tsikata continued with his cross examination afterwards.

Hearing continues Tuesday

Story by Enoch Darfah Frimpong


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