~ The First and second respondents in the election petition trial have said they would not call any witnesses
- According to them, the petitioner’s case was not proven beyond reasonable doubt
- But, veteran legal luminary, Tsatsu Tsikata, objected to the move and applied to reopen his case.
Akoto Ampaw on Monday, February 15, 2021, told the Supreme Court that had lawyers for John Mahama “thought through fully” the case of the respondents, they would have anticipated they would not call witnesses. He made the remarks when he was arguing against the application the former president filed through his lawyers to reopen his case.
Tsatsu Tsikata, the lead counsel for Mahama in the ongoing 2020 election petition trial informed the court on Thursday, February 12, 2021, that he wished to reopen the former president’s case to subpoena the chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC) Jean Mensa into the witness box for cross-examination.
“If they had thought through fully the case of the respondents, they would have known that this was very likely to happen because right from the beginning of filing our answers, we had served notice to them and the court that we think that they didn’t have any case for us to be even heard,” Ampaw stated. “So, they must have had notice that it was likely if they fail to lead sufficient evidence that we would not adduce any evidence and consistent with our original and primary position, we would ask the court to determine the matter on the evidence before it,” he added.
According to him, the truth of what transpired in the Electoral Commission’s (EC) Strong Room was essential to the case, and “that is what we want Jean Mensa to come and testify.” "She gave glory and honour to God after her declaration on 9th December 2020. My Lords, the chairperson [Jean Mensah] should come out to testify and to honour the God she claimed she serves," Tsikata told the court when he was a presentation to the court his application to reopen the former president’s case.
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