Election Petition: ‘EC lawyer tops them all’

Lead counsel for the Electoral Commission (EC) James Quarshie-Idun has been given full marks for his conduct in court.

President of the Legal Advocacy Foundation, Dr Maurice Kwabena Ampaw, in a discussion on TV3, stated that the other counsel are dragging the name of the legal profession in the mud by their conduct, which according to him, is imbued with emotions.

“Let’s begin to show that the bar has ethics,” Dr Ampaw advised his ‘learned friends’.

He stated that Phillip Addison, the lead counsel for the petitioners, Tony Lithur, the lead counsel for President John Dramani Mahama, James Quarshie-Idun, the EC’s counsel, and Tsatsu Tsikata, the lead counsel for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), should consider themselves privileged to be selected, among several other lawyers in the country, to represent the parties involved in the case.

Dr Ampaw was of full praise for the lead counsel of the second respondent, Mr Quarshie-Idun.

“He is a good lawyer,” he said. “When it comes to ethics he is on top.”

The conduct of lawyers of the parties in the election petition has been of concern to the Bench and they have been called to order countless times. “Mind your language,” Mr Tsikata was told once in court.

“Sit down,” Mr Addison was also told once in court.

“You are jettisoning on high seas,” Mr Lithur was also told after throwing away a pink sheet exhibit in open court.

Mr Quarshie-Idun has, however, kept the Bench and the well alive by some of his requests, especially those for lunch break.

“What is good for the goose is equally good for the gander,” he often says.