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Court orders
transfer of ballot boxes to Koforidua
Koforidua, Jan. 23, Ghanadot/GNA – A High
Court in Koforidua has ordered that ballot boxes used for
the parliamentary elections in the 2008 General Election in
the Asuogyaman constituency, be transferred from Akosombo
office of the Electoral Commission (EC) to the Eastern
Regional office of the EC in Koforidua.
This followed a request by counsel for the former Member of
Parliament for Asuogyaman, Mr Osei Akoto Ameyaw, who lost to
Mr Joses Asare Akoto, in the December elections and filed a
writ at the court challenging the results of the elections.
The court presided over by Justice Owusu Kwarteng, granting
the request, instructed that the Regional Police Command
should give it full security detail, during and after the
transferring that should be done in the presence of all
parties or stakeholders in the case.
The court further upheld a preliminary objection to the
competency of the EC’s application to struck out the writ
from the court.
The writ filed by the applicant is praying the court to
declare the parliamentary election null and void, order for
the re-count of the ballot papers and to restrain the
defendant from being declared as the duly elected
parliamentarian.
Counsel for Mr Osei Ameyaw, led by Francis Polley, prayed
the court that since they were contesting the results based
on the roles of the electoral officer and other officials
who handled the elections on December 7, at the
constituency, the ballot boxes should be moved to a neutral
place pending the court’s ruling on the matter.
Mr Tony Lithur, the lead counsel for Mr Akoto, argued that
the request by the applicant of the writ was huge because
the EC was mandated by law to be the custodian of electoral
materials therefore it should be kept at the Asuogyaman
offices of the EC.
He further prayed the court to be mindful of the fact that
the EC was an independent body and that transferring the
boxes from Asuogyaman to Koforidua EC office would make no
difference.
No date was set for the next sitting of the case but the
transfer of the boxes was scheduled for Tuesday, January 28.
GNA
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