Court dismisses contempt application against EC chair, 2 deputies

The High Court in Tema has rejected an application filed against the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Jean Mensa, and her deputies for contempt of court in connection with the Limited Voter Registration Exercise, graphic.com.gh has said.

The applicant, Precious Ayitah, sought to have Jean Mensa, Dr. Eric Bossman Asare, and Samuel Tettey, held in contempt for proceeding with the limited registration despite an injunction application she filed to halt the exercise.

Court ruling and grounds for dismissal:

On Friday, November 24, 2023, Justice Patricia Quansah, presiding over the court, dismissed the contempt application, citing its lack of basis.

The court awarded a nominal cost of GH¢2,000 against the applicant.

The judge stated that the applicant failed to establish a case against the respondents and couldn’t prove that the respondents were personally served with the court order.

The court agreed with the EC’s argument that there was no position as a legal secretary and no person named Daniel Addai Nyamekye in their employment.

The court held that any doubt should favour the respondents, concluding that the evidence presented by the applicant was not strong enough to support a contempt charge.

In response to the ruling, Precious Ayitah, dissatisfied with the decision, has filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal, seeking to overturn the High Court’s decision, the report added.

The appeal was officially submitted on Friday, November 24.

Background:

Ayitah, residing near Afienya in the Greater Accra Region, filed the contempt suit against the EC officials, alleging that they ignored an injunction application to halt the limited registration exercise in district offices.

Ayitah argued that proceeding with the exercise jeopardized the initial injunction application and the substantive suit, making it contemptuous of the court.