Chief Justice Georgina WoodThe Judicial Service has assured the public that the pink sheets in its custody for the hearing of the ongoing presidential election petition at the Supreme Court are safe.
It denied media reports that National Security had demanded keys to the Supreme Court Registry to guard the pink sheets and ensure that no one tampered with them while steps were being taken to audit them.
It also gave an assurance that the orders of the Supreme Court that the registrar take custody of the keys and secure the sheets could not be flouted.
Media reports on Friday had it that the Registrar of the Supreme Court had rejected an offer by personnel of National Security for the protection of the soon-to-be- audited pink sheets.
According to the reports, the security personnel had demanded keys to the court registry to guard the sheets and ensure that no one tampered with them while steps were being taken to audit them.
But when contacted, the Deputy Registrar of the Supreme Court, Mr Isaac Nkansah, told the Daily Graphic that the allegation was false.
He said it would be preposterous for anyone to think that the court could be pushed �here and there�.
The Communications Director at the Judicial Service, Ms Grace Tagoe, told the Daily Graphic that �we are not aware of the demand by National Security. We don�t even know where the pink sheets are kept�.
She then directed the Daily Graphic to another building.
Two policemen were seen on guard at the two entrances of the storey building leading to where the pinks sheets are kept, while five more were seen taking over from those on the morning shift.
When contacted, the National Security Coordinator, Lt Col Larry Gbevlo-Lartey, said the wrong charges levelled against National Security were borne out of the ignorance of mischief makers.
He said National Security was part of the security arrangement being coordinated by the Judicial Service and that no individual or group or persons could hijack the Supreme Court and demand the keys to any rooms, as was being conjectured.
�We are not in a jungle. We are under the rule of law and no one is bigger than the law,� he told the Daily Graphic.
Clarifying the issue further, the police, in a statement, said the Supreme Court was not under siege, as was being suggested in a section of the media, and that the police presence at the Supreme Court was on the �orders or invitation of the Judicial Service, with the security arrangements regulated by the Judicial Service, with its security playing a frontline role�.
The Supreme Court on Thursday appointed the accounting firm, KPMG, to conduct an audit into the 11,824 pink sheets submitted by the petitioners in the case after the respondents had informed the court that what they had received fell far below what the petitioners had listed in their affidavits.
Counsel for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Tsatsu Tsikata, had claimed that the number of pink sheets the NDC received from the petitioners was less than they claimed and requested that an audit be conducted.
The court directed that the audit should be based on the court�s exhibits in the custody of the registrar and in accordance with the category of malpractices alleged by the petitioners, as contained in paragraphs 44 to 67 of the affidavit deposed to by Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the second petitioner, and dated April 7, 2013.
Furthermore, the exercise should take into account the polling stations involved, their names, code numbers and exhibit numbers, if any.
According to the court, each of the parties in the petition was at liberty to choose two representatives to observe the exercise and, on completion, a report should be submitted to the registrar.
There was no indication as to when the exercise would commence, but once the order had been given, the exercise will start, provided the necessary paper work is completed on time.
The petitioners have alleged malpractices covering over-voting, the non-signing of pink sheets by presiding officers or their assistants, voting without biometric verification and duplicated serial numbers of pink sheets.
To them, they investigated the irregularities in 11,842 polling stations and provided the pink sheets involved as exhibits.
However, upon evaluation of their analysis, they now rely on 11,138 of those pink sheets on which they are seeking the annulment of the results.
The respondents, President John Dramani Mahama, the Electoral Commission (EC) and the NDC, have denied that any such irregularities occurred during the December 7 and 8, 2012 elections.
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