NDC MP-elect in trouble

Tarkwa (WR) Dec. 11, GNA - A Tarkwa Circuit Court presided over by Mr Samuel Obeng Diawuo on Wednesday ordered Ntow Mathias Kwame, NDC MP-elect for Aowin Constituency to appear before it on Thursday, December 12 or a bench warrant would be issued for his arrest.

The order followed a plea by counsel for the accused also known as Mathias Ntow, Mr Justice Adusah Poku, that his client was still undergoing treatment.

At the court's sitting on Tuesday, December 2, counsel said the accused was indisposed; therefore it adjourned the case to December 10, for the accused to open his defence.

This was after counsel had tendered a medical report signed by Dr Stephen Kpankpari, Medical Officer in-charge of Asankragwa Catholic Hospital to the court.

The presiding judge described the plea as a cat and mouse game and unacceptable, when counsel tendered another medical report that owing to power failure laboratory tests on his client had been scheduled for Wednesday, December 10 hence his absence in court.

Mr George Kpodo, a State Attorney, prosecuting said "the report is not credible and vague than the previous one" and therefore asked the court to issue a bench warrant to arrest the accused.

However, counsel for the accused pleaded with the court not to issue the bench warrant but ensure the accused appeared before court on Thursday, December 12.

The accused who appeared before the court on November 26, this year, for alleged double registration, pleaded not guilty and was granted GH¢5,000 bail with a surety to be justified.

Mr Kpodo, told the court that sometime in 2004, the accused a teacher at Enchi Training College registered at Winneba in the Central Region and was issued with voter identity card number 14489708 (GI). He said this year, the accused applied to the Electoral Commission to transfer his vote to Aowin to enable him contest the NDC Primaries. Mr Kpodo said during the recent limited registration exercise in August, 2008, it was alleged that the accused went to register again at Enchi and was issued with a voter identity card number 24329419 (HC) bearing the name Mathias Ntow.

He said the Enchi Electoral Office detected the double registration and reported the case to the police for investigations. Mr Kpodo said when questioned, the accused replied that his name was Ntow Mathias Kwame and not Mathias Ntow. He said witnesses had testified that the accused registered at Enchi District Court Polling centre.

Mr Emmanuel Banor, a Registration Officer, confirmed registering the accused, while Mr Kwesi Nipa, Convention People's Party (CPP) agent and Baffour Ntaa Mocher New Patriotic Party (NPP) agent have confirmed that the accused registered at the centre.

The accused, however, won the December 7, Parliamentary election in the constituency with 19,291 votes followed by Mr Samuel Adu Gyamfi of the NPP with 15,393 votes, Mr Ebenezer Ebbi Kwaw Dankwa of PNC with 631 votes and Mr Martin Boadu of CPP with 347 votes.