Why Asiedu Nketia denied evidence on pendrive for witness statement

General Secretary of the NDC on Monday denied knowledge of a data storage device on which the petitioner put video evidence to support his petition before the Supreme Court.

Johnson Asiedu Nketia spent the entire day in the witness box answering questions predominantly from Akoto Ampaw, lawyer for the second respondent Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

After the hours long session and a brief re-examination by his counsel, the bench took its turn to ask him a few questions, the first of which related to the pendrive from which the petitioner put videos supporting their case.

When Justice Henry Appau asked about who generated the pendrive data that had video evidence, it led to an exchange with the witness.

Bench: The pendrive that you attached to the hard copy and exhibited as exhibit s, who generated or placed the data on it? Because when you were asked you said you don’t know so who generated it? Who generated the data on the pendrive?

Asiedu Nketia: My Lord, as I have said, I honestly do not know the pendrive and its contents till today, and I was relying on the hard copies. But the evidence is gathered by our elections directorate and the legal directorate.

Bench: So, they gave it to you and you exhibited it.

Asiedu Nketia: No, my Lord, I did not exhibit that document.

When lawyer for the petitioner attempted an explanation, the bench clarified why the question was valid.

Bench: He exhibited it in his witness statement, he swore an oath that it is for him. He exhibited it so I want to find out who generated it. So, it means your elections team generated it and gave it to you and you exhibited it without seeing it.

Asiedu Nketia: I read all the hard copies because of the time pressure. I was discovering this thing today, that is why I indicated that I haven’t seen it.

Lawyer Akoto Ampaw had asked for the video of the EC’s official declaration of results to be played, based on which he asked the witness a series of questions. Videos of NDC victory declarations prior to January 9 were also played in open court from the same pendrive.