EC lied about duplicate forms - Bawumia

The key witness in the election petition hearing, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia on Monday, May 13, 2013 accused the Electoral Commission, EC, of “lying” about its reasons for printing duplicate serial numbers and forms for the conduct of the 2012 general elections.

In its pleadings, the EC, Second Respondent in the case, said the duplicate serial numbers were printed in anticipation of more Presidential candidates filing to join the Presidential race.

However, Dr. Bawumia, Second Petitioner in the case, repeatedly described the EC’s reason as a “lie” when he was being cross-examined on Monday by Lead Counsel for the Third Respondent, National Democratic Congress, NDC, Mr. Tsatsu Tsikata.

He said: “The Second Respondent basically told an untruth about why it printed duplicate forms for the Presidential election alone, in their response”.

The main opposition New Patriotic Party’s 2012 Vice Presidential Candidate asserted strongly that: “They are lying basically to this court in saying that they printed these duplicate forms because they expected more candidates. We all know that the same names appeared on the duplicate forms, and so they could not have expected more candidates since they printed them after October 19 when the ballots took place, and it is the lack of veracity of the Electoral Commission in this case, as to the rationale of printing these duplicate forms that make them suspicious”.

Lead Counsel for the EC, Mr. Quashie-Idun, however, protested against Dr. Bawumia’s continuous description of the EC’s reason for the duplicate serial numbers as a “lie”.

In his objection, Mr. Quashie-Idun said: “My Lords the Witness has persistently used the word lie lie lie; we have pleaded and if he disagrees and he’s said so in his examination-in-chief; I’m objecting to his language that the Electoral Commission lied is not acceptable. He said that he disagreed with what was pleaded but to go further and say so [is not acceptable]; he has said it more than once”.

In response to the Second Respondent’s protest to his use of “lie”, Dr. Bawumia amended his answer by saying: “Ok, I’ll say you were economical with the truth”.