COURT ORDERS TRANSFER OF BALLOT BOXES TO KOFORIDUA

A High Court in Koforidua on Friday ordered the removal of all the ballot boxes in respect of the just-ended parliamentary election in the Asuogyaman Constituency from the Electoral Commission (EC) office in the constituency to its regional office in Koforidua for them to be properly guarded by the police. It also ordered that the removal of the ballot boxes should be done on Tuesday, January 27, 2009, with all the parties involved, including the EC. The court, presided over by Justice Owusu Kwarteng, gave the order at its sitting on Friday in the case in which Mr Kofi Osei Ameyaw, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for the election in the constituency had sought three reliefs. They are a declaration that the election of Mr Asare Akoto, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate for the election, as the MP for the constituency is null and void; a recount of all the ballot papers in respect of the election in the constituency and a declaration that he (Osei Ameyaw) is the duly elected MP. A Koforidua barrister, Mr Francis Polly, who represented Osei Ameyaw, prayed the court for the removal of the ballot boxes from the EC's office in the constituency, which he said was a wooden structure, since there was the possibility of the place being burnt down, as happened to the EC's office in the Tain Consstituency. He also stated that there was the possibility of EC officials tampering with the ballot boxes if they were to remain in the present location. The judge, after listening to Mr Polly's argument, ordered the removal of the ballot boxes from Asuogyaman to the EC's office in Koforidua. No date was, however, set for the continuation of the case. Another High Court in Koforidua which is hearing the case in which the NDC parliamentary candidate for the Akwatia Constituency in the just-ended elections, Baba Jamal Ahmed Muhammed, and two other independent candidates had filed a writ to compel the EC to re-run the parliamentary election in all the polling stations in the constituency, instead of only six, adjourned sitting to Wednesday, January 28, 2009.

Source: Daily Graphic