Election Petition: Addison accuses Afari Gyan of forging polling station register

• Posted on June 4, 2013June 4, 2013
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

Counsel for petitioners, Philip Addison has accused Afari Gyan, the second respondent, and his counsel James Quarshie-Idun of forging a polling station register.

The accusation follows a fierce rejection by Addison to a polling station voter register which the Counsel for the witness was tendering in evidence, marked as exhibit EC8, to counter petitioner’s claim of over-voting.

But Addison in his argument claimed it was forged.

“It’s a new register prepared by them, it was not the register used at the polling station…it is not the register given to the political parties”, he fumed.

The original register used at the polling station, he said, showed the list were ticked according to the voters who went through verification. This list did not show the ticked markings.

He added he could not vouch for the authenticity of the document.

Quarshie-Idun however took exception to this charge vehemently. It was unfair for Addison to make this claim, he lamented.

A judge could not understand why counsel for the petitioners would not wait to prove this allegation during his cross-examination.

Addison said it was to “nip this in the bud”, nonetheless without standing down on his objection, he would wait for his chance during cross-examination.

But in an 8-1 majority decision, the panel of judges overruled his objection.

myjoyonline