NDC handed GH¢4,000 fine in Techiman South election petition

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has been slapped with a fine of GH¢4,000 by a Wenchi High Court for delaying court proceedings.

The Court, presided over by Justice Nawurah, had preferred a GH¢7,000 fine on the petitioner but this was reduced by GH¢3,000 after several pleas from his lawyers.

This sanction was slapped on the NDC at the case management conference held on Tuesday, June 22.

The petitioner, Christopher Bayere Basongti, who was the 2020 Parliamentary Candidate of the NDC, is praying the court to declare results of the parliamentary election in the Techiman South Constituency last year as null and void.

According to him, “proper collation” was not done before the Presiding Officer of the Electoral Commission, Ghana (EC), which is the Second Respondent in the suit, declared Martin Adjei-Mensah Korsah as winner of the polls.

That declaration erupted into violence which led to the death of two persons.

The Court has previously fined the two parties – NDC and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) – for legal infractions. Mr Adjei-Mensah Korsah was once fined GH¢1,000 for raising an “unnecessary” objection to the petitioner’s application for direction in the past.

The EC was also fined GH¢3,000 on Tuesday for filing a supplementary witness statement and affidavit without the leave of court.

Hearing on the substantive case is scheduled to start on Wednesday, June 30.