Election Petitions Still at High Court - Judicial Secretary

The Judicial Secretary, Mr George A. Aryeetey says all election petitions are still at the High Courts where they were filed and none has been transferred to Accra.

Mr Aryeetey was speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in reaction to a statement attributed to the Supervising High Court Judge in Koforidua that the Acting Chief Justice had directed that all electoral petitions pending at the Koforidua High Court should be transferred to Accra.

He explained that cases could be transferred only by an order signed by the Chief Justice and himself but he had not signed any such order.

Mr Justice George Twum, Eastern Regional Supervising High Court Judge, announced that the Acting Chief Justice, Mr Justice Edward Kwame Wiredu had directed that all electoral petitions pending before the Koforidua High Court should be sent to his office.

Justice Twum made the announcement when Mr Anthony Gyampoh, NDC candidate for Akropong Constituency in the 2000 Parliamentary Elections appeared before him.

Mr Gyampoh had filed a petition seeking the court's order "to recount the ballots cast during the said elections, declare the results announced by the Electoral Commission null and void and to declare him the winner".

Respondents to the suit were the Electoral Commission, the Attorney-General and Mr Agyare Koi-Larbi, New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Akropong.

Mr Justice Twum told the GNA in Koforidua that he could not tell if the affected electoral petitions would be tried in Accra or sent back to Koforidua.

He explained that, the Acting Chief Justice did not talk to him over the issue but rang Koforidua in his absence and gave the directives to the then Registrar of the Court, Mr William K. Abowu, who complied with the directives and only informed him later. Mr Abowu has since been transferred to Accra.

Mrs Comfort Annor, Deputy Registrar of the court, said she could not comment on the matter because she was not informed about it.

Other electoral petitions before the Koforidua High Court were those filed by Mr Fuzzy Torbay, NDC Parliamentary Candidate for Okere and Mr Ahmed Jawal Mohammed, NDC Parliamentary Candidate for Akwatia.

When Mr Abowu was contacted in Accra, he said the Acting Chief Justice only asked for an update of election petitions that were pending at the court and that all the dockets on the petitions were still in Koforidua.

Prior to the 2000 elections it was decided at a meeting at Sogakope, in the Volta Region, that all election petitions filed in the regions should be heard within three days by the Supervising High Court Judges and disposed of within seven days.

Where the Supervising Judge was engaged he was to direct another judge to hear the case.

This was to ensure expeditious disposal of election petitions in view of previous experiences when such cases dragged on for four years.

The Chief Justice was to be informed about all petitions pending in the Regional Courts for effective monitoring.