An Accra High Court yesterday could not hear the case brought against the Electoral Commission (EC) by the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) over the filing fees of presidential and parliamentary nominees ahead of this year’s election because of the absence of the Attorney General (A-G).
Although the AG is on record to have been served, nobody from the state prosecutor’s office was in court for the case to be heard.
The EC opened the nominations in September 2016 and pegged the filing fees for presidential candidates at GH¢50,000 and that of parliamentary nominees at GH¢10,000.
Some aggrieved parties subsequently asked the EC to reduce the fees.
Incensed by the reluctant of the EC to reduce the fees, the PPP dragged the EC to court.
Consequently, Tardius Sory, lawyer for the EC went to the court, presided over by Justice Daniel Mensah and sought an abridgment of time for the case to be heard yesterday instead of the scheduled October 11, 2016.
Mr Sory urged the court to hear the case but the trial judge adjourned the case until today for the AG to be notified of the hearing.
He argued that the time was of essence in view of the number of days left for the election to held, adding that everyday counts in the life of the electoral body.
The PPP, represented by Dennis Appiah said, the party has no objection to the request of the defendant.
Justice Mensah stated that an adjournment was in order because he was yet to study the docket.
The PPP filed an interlocutory injunction at the High Court on September 19 seeking to restrain the EC from going ahead with the receipt of filing fees from presidential and parliamentary candidates a day before the date scheduled for filing.
The injunction prevented the EC from receiving the filing fees of the various parliamentary and presidential hopefuls.
The EC however accepted that of Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom, the PPP flagbearer of the party.
The PPP, among other reliefs, is seeking a declaration that Regulation 45 of C.I. 94 is discriminatory, arbitrary, capricious and unreasonable.
By Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson