Mahama sent me, says amicus lawyer

After his dramatic appearance at the Supreme Court where he sought to join the election petition hearing as a friend of the court (Amicus Curiae), Lawyer Benony Tony Amekudzi yesterday said he was sent by President John Dramani Mahama to the court.

He said he had an interaction with President Mahama prior to announcing himself as a friend of the court during the hearing, challenging the basis of dragging the President to court in the election petition. However the court shot him down.

Amekudzi was believed to have recently returned from the United States of America (USA) after some health challenges.

Unconfirmed reports suggested that he had been receiving medical care after his return from the US where he worked at the Library of Congress as a Reader.

He had been part of the NDC team to the court, with an accreditation card allowing him access to the courtroom provided by the ruling party.

Ignoring all of the Supreme Court’s standard procedures in filing such motions, Mr. Amekudzi, referred to by critics as the ‘Mad Lawyer’, gate-crashed a bewildered panel of nine Supreme Court justices and raised the age-old argument that a sitting President could not be sued or joined as a defendant or a respondent to a lawsuit or petition.

His unexpected intervention had everybody in the courtroom sitting up to listen to his rather weird presentation in support of his request – something which was in the end denied anyway.

Speaking to Oman FM yesterday morning, Mr. Amekudzi said “before the elections, the President asked me to help him to help all Ghanaians and everybody living here and not a few.”

On how the President wanted him to assist him, he told the radio host, “That is not for you to know.”

His remarks were inconsistent with the neutrality demanded by law as regards those seeking to be friends of a court in a given case.

He told Oman FM when he was asked whether he was a member of the NDC and his response was “I declare my support to the NDC, so know it from today.”

Lawyer Amekudzi explained that his intervention was to shore up the President’s case, a remark which sought to reduce the effectiveness of President Mahama’s lawyer Tony Lithur, who is representing him in the landmark petition seeking to annul his declaration as President.

Tony Lithur, the President’s lawyer, denied knowledge of Amekudzi’s mission. When the justices gave him the chance to comment on Mr. Amekudzi’s intrusion during proceedings in the court on Thursday, Mr Lithur stated that he was the one mandated by the President to represent him.

“I think the rules ought to be followed. If somebody comes before your lordships and wants to bring a brief, I think he must demonstrate the basis upon which he brings that brief, by way of qualification, by interest, etc,” Tony Lithur told the Supreme Court as part of his comments on Mr. Amekudzi’s bold invasion of proceedings.

Mr. Amekudzi also dropped the name of President Barack Obama of the US, whom he said, had received a correspondence from him [Amekudzi] regarding the ongoing petition.

Ato Dadzie Disowns Amicus Lawyer

Nana Ato Dadzie, a member of the legal team of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the ongoing election petition, yesterday denied knowledge of President Mahama’s endorsement of controversial lawyer, Amekudzi, as an addition to his team of lawyers in the Supreme Court.

Nana Ato Dadzie, who stormed the International Press Centre on Friday, dismissed earlier media reports citing him as saying that President Mahama was in the know about Mr. Amekudzi’s antics in the Supreme Court on Thursday.

Setting the records straight, Nana Ato Dadzie said he knew nothing of the claims of the curious lawyer purporting to be pursuing the interest of the President.

However, Mr. Amekudzi insisted that he had the blessings of President Mahama to file a motion in the Supreme Court to the effect that a sitting President could not be sued or joined to a lawsuit or a petition unless he was out of office.

President Mahama is the first respondent in the landmark election petition where the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) is seeking to annul his mandate as the winner in the December 7 and 8 Presidential elections.