KPMG Audits Pink Sheets Free Of Charge

International accounting firm KPMG has decided to audit the pink sheets tendered in evidence by the Petitioners to prove allegations of rigging against the Respondents over the 2012 general elections free of charge. This was announced to the court on Wednesday by Justice William Atuguba, president of the panel of judges hearing the election petition at the Supreme Court. The Petitioners, Respondents and the Court agreed that the firm audits the sheets following a controversy about the quantity submitted to court. The auditing firm met the various parties in the election petition case on Tuesday to discuss modalities to adopt for auditing the pink sheets. President of the nine-member Bench hearing the case, Justice William Atuguba acknowledged the offer by KPMG in Court today and had the Court applaud the firm. Justice Atuguba described the offer as a �certificate of good news� saying KPMG's decision was �noble� and �patriotic� and asked that counsel and witness emulate their gesture by proceeding the second half of court proceedings "without acrimony�. Officials of KPMG were in court to acknowledge the Judge�s satisfaction of the �good news�. The Supreme Court ordered the audit at the instance of Mr. Tsatsu Tsikata, Lead Counsel for the Third Respondent, National Democratic Congress. The audit is meant to ascertain whether the Petitioners indeed submitted 11,842 pink sheets to the Court. Mr. Tsikata had argued that the sheets tendered fell far short of the number claimed by the Petitioners but added that there were so many duplications by same so as to bloat the number. Spokesperson of the Respondents� legal team, Nana Ato Dadzie reportedly told journalists last week that the sheets fell short by 3,337 sheets despite a refusal by Mr. Tsikata to give out the shortfall in Court during his cross examination of key witness and Second Petitioner Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.