The Supreme Court says the petitioner’s lawyers should file their witness statements by Thursday, but Tsatsu Tsikata wants more time
The Supreme Court has adjourned the 2020 election petition to Tuesday 26 January 2021 after a mini showdown in court between Tsatsu Tsikata, lawyer for the petitioner, and the judges on the panel, on Wednesday.
Tsikata appeared shocked when the judges ordered that witness statements should be filed by Thursday among other consequential orders, arguing they are not “super humans” to meet the timelines.
However, the bench said the court is working with strict timelines and as a senior lawyer he should be prepared by now with his documents. Tsikata stated the timeline for them to file their witness statement is too short and “unjustified.”
The petitioner’s lawyer argued there are a lot of outstanding issues that must be dealt with by the court such as seeking for a review of the court’s earlier ruling regarding the refusal of their 12 interrogatories on Tuesday.
“Justice must not be sacrificed for expedition,” Tsikata told the court during case management, however, the court brushed it aside and adjourned for full trial on Tuesday 26 January 2021.
Application for review
The petitioner has filed an application for review of the Supreme Court’s ruling regarding the refusal of their 12 interrogatories on Tuesday.
In a unanimous decision, the apex court dismissed a motion from the petitioner calling on the Electoral Commission to respond to some questions they consider will help narrow down the issues set out in the petition.
The court ruled that the petitioner’s application for interlocutories was not grounded in law.
The judges said that the application contravened the rules governing adjudication of the election petition, which is the main issue before the court.
“The application is hereby dismissed,” the Chief Justice ruled on Tuesday.
