'When is this EC going to be accountable?' - Appiah-Oppong asks

Former Attorney General and Minister of Justice Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong has asked when the Electoral Commission, EC, will be held accountable for its conduct in the 2020 elections.

Appiah-Oppong addressed the media after today’s sitting on the election petition case currently before the Supreme Court of Ghana.

She itemized instances during this trial where she claimed the EC had refused to cooperate with the petitioner's request for crucial information.

“We have an EC who when a request for information was served on them in the past, they refused to respond. We have an EC who was requested to answer interrogatories, they refused to respond.

“We have an EC that was served with a notice to admit facts, they refused. We have an EC that was asked to produce documents relating to the election, they also refused. That is the kind of EC we are dealing with.

“Where are the principles of accountability? When is this EC going to be accountable?” she asked.

During today’s brief sitting, the court dismissed a motion by petitioners to have the EC chairperson mount the witness box. The court ruled that the application had no basis in law.

Following the ruling, Tsatsu Tsikata, lead lawyer for petitioner John Dramani Mahama announced that they will file a motion to subpoena the EC chair to testify.

“We will now seek your Lordship’s permission to reopen our case in order to issue a subpoena on the chairperson of the electoral commission.

“My Lords, we know that we can issue a subpoena without leave but since we have closed our case on the assumption that she will be (in the box)….we intend to file a formal motion,” Tsikata added.

Chief Justice Kwesi Anin-Yeboah asked the petitioners to file a formal motion for the subpoena. Parties are instructed to file their final addresses by February 17 with the next sitting slated for the 18th.