Charlotte Osei
An application challenging the legitimacy of Thaddeus Sory in representing the chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Mrs Charlotte Osei, as lawyer in the petition seeking her removal has been withdrawn.
Lawyer for the petitioners, Maxwell Opoku-Agyemang, filed application to challenge Mr. Sory’s legal representation for the EC boss on grounds that the latter who is the lawyer for the EC, cannot represent Mrs Osei in her individual capacity in the petition.
But on Monday, Mr. Agyemang-Opoku caused the application to be withdrawn from the High Court presided over by Justice Kwaku Ackaah-Boafo.
Submitting for the application to be withdrawn, Kwame Achempong Boateng and Julius Opoku Agyei told the court the withdrawal has become necessary because their client, Mr. Opoku Agyemang, has caused another lawyer to enter appearance on his behalf in the same matter in a different court.
Although Mr. Sory did not oppose the withdrawal of the application, he prayed the court to award a cost of GHC 50,000 in his favour.
Granting the withdrawal of the application, the judge said there was no rule that stops Opoku-Agyemang from withdrawing his application.
He also declined to award a cost of GHC50,000 against Mr. Opoku-Agyemang and rather awarded a cost of GHC4,000 in favour of Mr. Sory.
Background
Some staff of the EC who made allegations of abuse of office, causing financial loss to the state and breaches of the country’s procurement law against Mrs. Osei petitioned President Akufo-Addo in July to cause the Chief Justice, Ms Sophia Akuffo, to initiate impeachment proceedings against Ms Osei.
They claimed among other things that Mrs. Osei without recourse to laid down administrative structures and the Public Procurement Act, singularly abrogated contracts, secured a V8 Land Cruiser for her use, and awarded contracts worth thousands of dollars.
But Mrs Osei caused Mr Sory, who is the lawyer for the EC, as her personal lawyer to write a letter to Mr. Opoku-Agyemang to demand the names of the EC workers who petitioned the president.
After Mr. Opoku-Agyemang declined to give out the names, Mrs. Osei again caused Mr Sory to file a defamation suit against Mr. Opoku-Agyemang.
She claimed the anonymous staff have defamed her per the petition, copies of which went viral, claiming the anonymous “concerned staff” have damaged her hard won reputation. But Mr. Opoku-Agyemang raised red flags over Mrs. Osei’s use of Thaddeus Sory as her personal lawyer and consequently filed the application to challenge his legal status in representing Mrs. Osei.
-3news