SALL trial: Prof Margaret Kweku testifies in court

Prof. Margaret Kweku, the first petitioner in the election petition case against Peter Amewu, testified in the Ho High Court on behalf of all five petitioners.

A witness statement she filed on May 30, 2024, was adopted as her evidence-in-chief.

A number of documents that were referred to in her witness statement, such as the announcement by the Electoral Commission on December 6, 2020, preventing voters in the SALL traditional areas from voting in the parliamentary elections, were admitted as evidence.

She also put in evidence documents that the court had ordered the Electoral Commission to produce. These included the list of registered voters in the SALL traditional areas.

According to the first petitioner, the list showed that there were 17,688 registered voters in the SALL traditional areas.

Under cross-examination from counsel for the 1st and 2nd respondents, the witness indicated that references made to various constitutional instruments in her witness statement could be explained by her counsel as she was not technically qualified to do so.

The witness gave her background as a medical doctor and a lecturer at the University of Health and Allied Sciences at the Hohoe campus.

Counsel for the petitioners, Mr. Tsatsu Tsikata, announced that there would be no re-examination and that no other witness would be called for the petitioners.

The Court went on to grant a motion by counsel for Peter Amewu to amend his answer to the election petition, as there was no opposition to the motion by either counsel for the petitioners or the first respondent.

The Court further gave the second respondent 48 hours to file the amended answer and five days to file any further issues and/or an amended witness statement.

The Court then adjourned the case to June 26, 2024, when Peter Amewu is expected to testify. A further date of July 2, 2024, was also set by the court for the continuation of the trial.

During the Case Management Conference (CMC), before the testimony of Prof. Margaret Kweku, Counsel for the Electoral Commission notified the court that the Commission would not call any witnesses.