Ruling on case reopen motion smacks of predetermined agenda – Ayine

Former Deputy Attorney General Dominic Ayine says the Supreme Court’s basis for dismissing former President John Mahama’s motion to reopen his case smacks of a predetermined agenda to rule against the petitioner.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday, February 16, dismissed an application filed by former President John Mahama to have his case re-opened.

The apex court panel of seven Chaired by Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah said they find no merit in the application and proceed with the ongoing case without any hesitation.

Speaking to the media after the ruling, the spokesperson for the petitioner’s legal team said it is unfortunate that the Supreme Court has reduced the petition into a single issue.

“It is not true that there is only one issue that needs to be determined in this matter. I am surprised that the Supreme Court itself having set down five key issues to be determined is now reducing the issue to one, which is whether the extent to which the evidence that we have led shows that no one got more than 50% of the votes in accordance with Article 63 of the Constitution.

“We have made it abundantly clear in the petition that there were a number of infractions, we are contesting even the constitutionality of the declaration that was made. We are saying that she violated Article 23 because she is an administrative body, we have also said the exercise of discretion was contrary to Article 296 of the Constitution,” he said.



He added: “These are all germane issues under the constitution and laws of Ghana. And to reduce the petition into a single issue petition is rather unfortunate and smacks of a predetermined agenda to rule against the petitioner in this matter”.

Meanwhile, law Professor Kwaku Asare is wondering what the petitioner is still looking for in the wake of the dismissal of his latest motion.

“This goes with the unanimous rejection of the petitioner’s request for production, interrogatories, and request for admissions from the election manager”.

“But if you cannot get discovery and you cannot examine the election manager, what exactly do you expect to get from the Court?. If they would have given you more they would have started by giving you a full plate,” he wrote on Facebook.

Source: Starrfm.com.gh