Tsatsu bloodies ‘Dr. Pinksheets’ Bawumia

Lead counsel for the National Democratic Congress, Mr. Tsatsu Tsikata yesterday handed the second petitioner and principal witness of the election petition challenging the results of the last presidential election, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia several weighty jabs of legally impregnated questions when he took his turn to cross-examine him.

Dr. Bawumia, who was in high spirit when he came face to face with Counsel for the second respondents, Quashie Idun, had his spirit died down drastically like a mobile phone with a flat battery when Mr.Tsikata grilled him on the matters raised in the petitioner’s affidavits.

Not even a twisted legal attempt by the petitioner’s Lead Counsel, Philip Addison to block the learned lawyer from having his bite at the cherry was able to save Dr. Bawumia from receiving his side of the legal thrashing that Tsatsu Tsikata in like manner gave the first petitioner, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, when he was the Attorney General and Minister of Justice during the reign of former President Kufuor.

Mr. Tsikata began his demolishing of Dr. Bawumia after Lead Counsel for the Electoral Commission, Quashie Idun ended his cross-examination of the former Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana who is also star witness in the 2012 election petition challenging the declaration of President Mahama as winner of the presidential polls.

Surprisingly, Dr. Bawumia who has been relying on his mathematical and economic mettle in the witness box to flex muscles, ostensibly to please his boss Nana Akufo-Addo and his party supporters, lost almost all his bearings as a result of cold lethal legal jabs that were shot directly at his chest by counsel for the third respondent.

Whiles lawyers from the petitioners made several attempts through a ceaseless objection to save Dr Bawumia whose voice suddenly changed as if he had sung a dirge at a funeral all night from answering some of the nerve racking questions blazing from the guns of the legal luminary, some lawyers and observers present at the Supreme Court could not help but to grab their writing pads to start jotting down some useful and free legal lessons.

Mr. Tsikata at a point during his cross examination couldn’t help but to refer to Dr. Bawumia as "Dr. Pink Sheets", apparently, due to the witnesses' unrestrained and consistent reference to evidence on the face of the pink sheets.

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, New Patriotic Party’s 2012 presidential candidate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, his running mate and the Party’s National Chairman, Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey are challenging the validity of the 2012 presidential polls at the country’s highest court.

They claimed widespread irregularities and deliberate rigging by the second defendant, the Electoral commission in favor of the first Respondent, President John Mahama.

The case heard by nine Supreme Court judges presided over by Justice Atuguba has been adjourned to today.