Justice delayed is justice denied – Frank Davies counters Tsatsu

One of the lawyers of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Mr Frank Davies has dismissed claims by lead counsel for the petitioners in the Election Petition, Tsatsu Tsikata that justice should not be sacrificed for expedition.

Mr Davies said Justice delayed is justice denied.

Mr Tsatsu Tsikata had told the Supreme Court that much as the court may want to stick to the timelines specified in C. I 99 for the adjudication of election petitions, it should not be done in disregard of justice.

Tsikata was reacting to orders by the court for parties file their witness statements by 12 noon Thursday, January 21, a timeline the lawyer deemed too short.

According to him, the Supreme Court’s insistence of such a short timeline is not justified in law.

But the bench explained the modification of the law which culminated in C.I 99 requires the court to operate within strict timelines, a requirement the court cannot compromise.

The bench was also of the view that lawyers should have known that they will be required to file witness statements and that those should have been prepared ahead of time.

Dissatisfied Tsatsu Tsikata told the court, adherence to those timelines should not injure justice.

“Justice cannot be sacrificed for expedition”, he said. The case was adjourned to Tuesday, January 26.

But speaking in an interview with the media after proceedings, Mr Frank Davies said: “What is meant by sacrificing justice on the altar of expedition?"

“Justice delayed is justice denied. So what is it? They are just not ready. They were advocating for a live broadcast of proceedings and now everybody is seeing what is happening in court. Everyday lead counsel for the petitioners is making one complaint or the other."

“You cannot blame the failure of a bad farm on your tools of implementation. Your farm is your farm and it depends on how you cultivate it so we should not ponder over this repeated rhetoric of sacrificing justice for expedition.”