A member of the counsel for the petitioners in the election suit against President John Dramani Mahama, the Electoral Commission (EC) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Frank Davies, has admitted that counsel in the suit occasionally went overboard as regards behavior during proceedings “but it was not too insulting and disparaging,” he added.
“It was not something to be expected,” he confessed on TV3’s 7GMT over the week. He admitted that in the heat of proceedings, counsel had thrown words at each other but most of the times apologies were rendered.
“I don’t think it’s been that bad,” he emphasized.
He juxtaposed what occurred in the Supreme Court to what happens in other nations, observing that: “In other jurisdictions some of them fight. We don’t fight.”
Hearing at the Supreme Court over the 46-day period saw tempers flare up in court. Tsatsu Tsikata, the lead counsel for the third respondent, once told Phillip Addison, the lead counsel for the petitioners, to shut up. His actions forced a member of the panel to tell him to “mind your language”.
Mr Tony Lithur, lead counsel for the first respondent, also threw a pink sheet exhibit on the floor once.
Mr Addison had once insinuated that the respondents were behaving like “pampered children” and was asked in court once to sit down by the President of the Panel, Justice William Atuguba, after being found to have gone overboard.
The extreme behaviour of counsel prompted Justice Atuguba to once advise them to exhibit “clear language across board. There should be no ground firing of missiles.”
The Supreme Court is expected to reassemble on July 31, 2013.
