Counsel for the petitioner in the ongoing 2020 Presidential Election Petition, Tsatsu Tsikata, has 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.
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Dissatisfied Tsatsu Tsikata told the court, adherence to those timelines should not injure justice.
“Justice cannot be sacrificed for expeditionâ€, he said.
The case was adjourned to Tuesday, January 26.