Mr. Sumaila Biebelle, the Cattle Dealer
and a Farmer who has dragged the Member of Parliament for Bawku Central to the supreme
for holding multiple nationality and sitting in Ghana’s parliament as a
legislator, yesterday took the Supreme Court panel and the defence legal
counsel by surprise when he abruptly ended his evidence -in-chief to the Court.
Mr. Biebelle who has been
defending the case without a legal counsel, told the nine member panel of the
Supreme Court that he has no further evidence to give to the court other than
the evidence he provided in the statement of case that he had earlier filed to
the court.
He was expected to give oral
evidence to the court as to how he knew about the illegality of the defendant,
Hon. Adamu Daramani Sakande prior to the 2008 general election which made him
(defendant) the Member of Parliament for Bawku Central while holding a British
passport as a citizen of that country.
But the Cattle Dealer took the
court and the defence by surprise when he mounted the witness box and told the
court that he has no any further evidence either than those he had filed in his
statement of case.
Mr. Biebielle, at the last sitting mounted the witness box
and told the court in his evidence- in-chief that
he got to know the MP between 1997 and 1998 when he (plaintiff) traveled to
London for a visit and they met at a wedding ceremony.
However, before he concluded with
that statement in his evidence, the defence counsel raised an objection and
said that piece of evidence was not part of the pleadings in his statement of
case and that if it was allowed; it could prejudice the case against the
defendant.
Following that, the Supreme Court
adjourned the case to yesterday to enable him
access a legal counsel, but when
the case was called, the plaintiff said he had still not gotten a lawyer to
assist him and that he has no further evidence to give to the court.
Mr. Yonni Kulendi, the lead
defence counsel who was then to cross-examine him, told the court that, the
defence was taken by surprise of the plaintiff and pleaded with the court for
an adjournment to prepare and cross-examine the Cattle Dealer, Mr. Biebelle.
The
nine member panel chaired by Professor Date-Baah, therefore obliged the defence
request and adjourned the case to March2, this year for continuation.
The
other panel members were Justice Julius Ansah, Justice Rose Owusu, Justice Jones
Dotse, Justice Anin Yeboah, Justice Paul Baffour- Bonne, Justice Sulleiman
Gbedamey and Justice Vida Akoto Bamfo . .
Mr. Biebielle filed the suit in
2010, and is seeking a declaration from the Supreme Court in a true and proper
interpretation of Article 97(1e) and Article 94(2a) that the MP, Adamou
Daramani Sakande who holds a British passport, therefore owns allegiance to a
country either than Ghana and is therefore in contravening and in violation of
the 1992 constitution of Ghana.
He further wants any
consequential orders that the court may deem fit or meet to declare in the
proper application of the laws of the country.
According to Mr. Beibiele, there is
convincing evidence from the National security Secretariat and the British High
Commission to the effects that the defendant, Hon. Adamou Daramani Sakande was
indeed holding a British nationality while contesting for national election to
sit in Ghana’s parliament as a legislator
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