The Wenchi High Court hearing the 2020 Techiman South Election2020 Parliamentary Petition has imposed a fine of GH¢4,000 on the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate, Christopher Beyere Baasongti, for inconveniencing the Member of Parliament (MP).
The petitioner (Baasongti) on Tuesday requested to correct the figures in his petition from Martin Korsah – 50,013; Chris Beyere – 50,306; to Martin Korsah – 50,118 and Chris Beyere – 50,376.
The court, despite granting him the request to amend figures in his filed motions, fined the petitioner for inconveniencing Martin Adjei-Mensah Korsah, MP for Techiman South Constituency in the Bono East Region (Respondent).
Counsel for the petitioner, Justin Pwavra Teriwajah, during the sitting for Case Management Conference on June 1, 2021, sort leave of court to file motions on notice for leave to file and serve Supplementary Witness Statement, an order setting down main issue for preliminary determination, appointment of court Expert and for Discovery and Inspection of Pink Sheets, leave to amend Parliamentary Election Petition and appointment of Court Expert on Handwriting.
Justice Frederick Nawurah said although the request of the petitioner falls in his right and as such granted his request he could only rule on the motion to amend the parliamentary election petition.
That, he explained, was because although the petitioner served the motions on June 4, the Registry furnished him with same together with the Respondents responses June 17 and adjourned the case to June 30, 2021.
Mr Baasongti had prayed the Wenchi High Court on January 11, 2021 to declare that the gazetting of Mr Korsah as the winner as null and void when the verdict by the Electoral Commission (EC) in the Techiman South Constituency stated that the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP’s) candidate won with 49,682 votes representing 50.2 per cent of the total valid vote cast, whilst the NDC’s candidate had 49,205 votes representing 49.8 per cent of the total valid votes cast.
But the petitioner insisted that was not a true reflection of the facts, according to him, per the pink sheets of the NDC agents at each of the 267 polling stations, Mr Baasongti garnered 50,306 votes in the parliamentary election whilst Mr Korsah polled 50,013 votes. –myjoyonline.com
