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General News of Wednesday, 10 July 2013

Source: Joy Online

We are tired of petitioners’ list – Tsatsu suggests

Tsatsu Tsikata says he is tired of having to check several lists of pink sheets continually being served on them by the petitioners in the election petition hearing.

On Day 42 of the hearing, counsel for the petitioners, Philip Addison sought to tender a 74-page list of irregularities under the P-series.

The series deals with duplicate serial numbers which petitioners say were used to prosecute massive fraud in the 2012 elections.

But Mr. Tsikata on Wednesday was unenthusiastic by the petitioners’ quest to tender the list.

The respondents have previously raised concerns about mistakes in the list. They have done so three times.

This time, he says his team would not “dignify the P-series” by checking it before it is tendered.

He believed that the list would be of “no consequence” to their case because the facts are clear in the KPMG report – a report they would be relying on in their closing address.

He revealed that the new and corrected list was served on them at 10:00pm Tuesday. His team has had to check through.

“We are not going to keep people overnight to help the court,” he tells the court.

He is not interested in whatever changes the petitioners may have made, saying “we are happy” for them to tender it.

He reiterated that the list has no legal effect. He had strong words for the petitioners list. It was a “worthless exercise” and a “waste of time". Addison responded that the enormous pressure brought to bear on his technical team led to the errors. Just one mistake affects the entire list, he explained.

He was critical of the respondents’ apparent disinterest. Tsatsu used two weeks alone on duplicate serial numbers during his cross-examination, he charged.

He also used 4,000 pink sheets but the petitioners diligently checked and accommodated.

He suggested it is for the respondents to reciprocate this gesture.