Vikileaks probe: Investigate Awuku tape too - NDC

The governing party’s UK and Ireland Chapters say the Chief Justice must include in any probes of recent leaks, the Sammy Awuku tape, on which a voice resembling that of the Deputy Communications Director of the main opposition party, was heard castigating Justice William Atuguba, President of the Justices that sat on the election petition case.

The request by the Chapters, follows a petition by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to the Chief Justice, to probe the recently leaked Victoria Hammah tapes on which the sacked Deputy Communications Minister was heard saying Gender, Children and Social Protection Minister, Nana Oye Lithur may have influenced the decision of the Justices in the election petition case.

Beside the Chief Justice, the opposition NPP has also petitioned Parliament to probe the allegation.

Oye Lithur, whose husband, Tony Lithur, represented President John Mahama as Counsel in the 8-month long election petition trial, which the nine-member panel of the apex court determined in favour of the Respondents, has denied, through a statement, ever influencing the final verdict.

The NPP nonetheless says a probe is necessary into the gossipy revelation of Victoria Hammah.

In response, the governing National Democratic Congress’ diaspora Chapters say the Chief Justice must extend such a probe to the Sammy Awuku tape.

It said: “The NDC UK & Ireland Chapter welcome these calls but would like to stress that such investigations should not only be limited to the alleged Victoria Hammah leaked tapes, but we also call on the Chief Justice and any Commission established to institute investigations into the confirmed recorded tapes where Mr Sammy Awuku, the NPP Communication Director, during a visit to the UK, was clearly heard on a tape attacking the integrity of the Justices of the Supreme court of Ghana”.

According to the Chapters, “Ghanaians deserve better and we in the NDC UK & Ireland Chapter would like to call on those protagonists in the NPP advocating for such probes to come with clean hands”.

The statement noted: “The NPP are noted for attacking the integrity of the Judiciary and public Institutions under strange circumstances. We note that Sammy Awuku's comments in the UK attacking the presiding judge of the Supreme Court and …the unguarded statements by Mr Owusu Afriyie ridiculing the presiding judge of the Supreme Court during the Petition hearing put the integrity and independence of the country's judiciary into jeopardy”.