A private practising lawyer, Dennis Ofosu Appiah, has alleged that the practising license of Mr. Tsatsu Tsikata, Counsel for the governing National Democratic Congress, NDC, in the ongoing election petition case, had expired as of the time Mr. Tsikata took up the job to be the party’s lawyer in the matter.
Mr. Ofosu Appiah, who was one of four lawyers on Radio XYZ’s Saturday Current Affairs Programme ‘The Analyst’, claimed that: “At the point that he [Mr. Tsikata] signed to documents as a Lawyer to the third Respondent, his practicing licence was expired”.
He, therefore, questioned Mr. Tsikata’s honesty as a person by asking: “Was he an honest person when he did that?”
Mr. Ofosu Appiah’s allegation came about during a discussion about the use of intemperate and unsavoury language in the Supreme Court by lawyers on both sides.
At the hearing on Wednesday May 8, 2013, Lead Counsel for the Petitioners, Philip Addison, wondered why Mr. Tsikata kept imputing dishonesty against the key witness Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia during cross-examination, and, therefore, sought a pronouncement from the Bench to restrain Mr. Tsikata.
Mr. Addison also threatened in open court that his side could answer in kind if Mr. Tsikata was not reined in.
“We are very much capable of throwing those same words at him,” he warned.
Painting a scenario of Mr. Tsikata being a kettle calling the pot black, Mr. Addison protested that: “It is quite surprising coming from him talking about honesty…; he should choose his words carefully; there was no need at all to address the witness as dishonest”, he said, adding that: “Coming from him, it’s quite rich”.
Making reference to that specific event in Court on Wednesday, Mr. Ofosu Appiah told ‘The Analyst’ on Saturday May 11, 2013 that: “If we want to do things well, then we ourselves must do things well”, adding that: “You don’t go and start giving to other people in [an] abusive manner and you forgot who you are; that’s the point I’m making that the man standing before the Supreme Court, his licence is expired”.
NDC’s legal team fights back
However a member of the NDC’s legal team, Mr. Victor Kojoga Adawudu has dared his colleague lawyer to prove his allegation against Mr. Tsikata.
Mr. Adawudu told XYZ News: “…He should come to Court and say that Tsikata hasn’t got the licence so he cannot so speak”.
He challenged Mr. Ofosu Appiah saying: “Let him come, these are issues that can be verified, but if he thinks that Mr. Tsatsu Tsikata hasn’t got [the] licence to practice or his name is not on the roll of Lawyers to come before the Court, he should come, that’s a legal issue; he should come and raise it in Court and we’ll wait for him and give him the appropriate response”.
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo together with Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and the party’s National Chairman Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey are in court challenging the validity of the election results as declared by the country’s electoral commission after the December 7 and 8 general elections.
The Respondents in the case are President John Mahama, the Electoral Commission and the NDC.
Mr. Tsikata has been cross-examining Dr. Bawumia for over a week so far.
Source: GhanaWeb
