Court gives judgement on Paul Afoko's case on August 15
The legal tussle between the suspended National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Paul Afoko, and the party, has reached the final hurdle as the Accra High Court will give its judgement on the case on August 15, 2016.
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The Human Rights Division of the Accra High Court, presided over by Mr Justice Anthony Yeboah, fixed the date today after the two parties filed their written submission.
At the hearing of the case last Tuesday, counsel for Afoko, Mr Reynolds Twumasi, who stood in for his substantive counsel, Mr Osafo Buabeng, and counsel for the NPP, Mr Godfred Dame, both declined to react to each other’s submission.
The presiding judge, subsequently, fixed the date, but stated that he may bring the judgement date forward if he is able to analyse the written submissions early.
“In that case, the registrar will serve hearing notices to both parties,’’ he said.
Suit
Mr Afoko dragged the NPP to court in December last year, claiming that his suspension was not in tandem with the party’s constitution.
Joined to the suit as defendant is the acting National Chairman of the party, Mr Freddie Blay.
Witnesses
Apart from the written submissions, the two parties also presented witnesses who testified on their behalf and were also cross-examined.
A former National Chairman of the party, Mr Peter Mac-Manu, and the chairman of the party’s disciplinary committee (DC), Most Reverned Samuel Asante Antwi, testified on behalf of the party, while Mr Martin Kpebu, a lawyer, who represented Mr Afoko during the DC’s proceeding on his suspension also testified for the plaintiff.
The suspended General Secretary of the party, Mr Kwabena Agyepong, was listed as a witness of Mr Afoko and was expected to be cross-examined.
His name was, however, withdrawn by the legal team of suspended Chairman on the day he was supposed to be cross-examined.
The court, therefore, struck out his name as a witness and expunged his witness statement.
Bone of contention
Apart from the fact that Mr Afoko claimed that per the party’s constitution, the DC of the party had no jurisdiction to suspend him; another contention in the case is whether one of the members of the DC was eligible to be appointed onto the committee.
Mr Afoko is of the view that the appointment of Mrs Eugenie Kusi, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tarkwa-Nsuaem in the Western Region, was not duly appointed onto the DC and, therefore, any proceedings that the committee held against him were unconstitutional.
The NPP, is however, claim that Mrs Kusi was duly appointed to represent the party’s parliamentary caucus on the committee.
