I didn’t instruct my staff to reject Supreme Court documents – Dafeamekpor’s lawyer

Nii Kpappo Samoa Addo, lawyer for Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, the South Dayi Member of Parliament (MP), has denied allegations that he directed a staff in his office to decline documents from the Supreme Court regarding the case against approval of President Nana Akufo-Addo’s new ministerial nominees.

In court, it was disclosed that the South Dayi MP’s attorney did not receive certain court documents, including the notice of hearing and the Attorney General's opposition to a temporary court order.

This information emerged when the case was heard on Wednesday, and neither the plaintiff nor his attorney was present.

The Chief Justice, Gertrude Torkornoo, presiding over the bench, observed that Nii Kpappo Addo, the plaintiff's attorney, had instructed a staff member to reject any documents from the Supreme Court.

The bailiff claimed that he was forced to leave with the notice of hearing and the Attorney General's opposition to the temporary court order after the staff member of the South Dayi MP's attorney informed him of the directive.

However, in an interview with Umaru Sanda Amadu on Eyewitness News on Citi FM on Wednesday, Mr Addo refuted the bailiff’s claim, stating that he had not issued such a directive. He further mentioned that there were video and audio proofs to support his statement.

“We didn’t flee from our own case. We are supposed to be served with a hearing notice on the date that has been called by the court. So, I received a call from the bailiff of the court that he had a process for me. Unfortunately, on Tuesday, I wasn’t in Accra. He called me at exactly 10:50 am. So, I informed him that I wasn’t around, but I was going to give him the number of the plaintiff so that he could serve the plaintiff with the hearing notice or whatever document that he had. So, I sent him the number at 10:57. He acknowledged receipt.”

“I was therefore very surprised to hear on Wednesday that this bailiff alleged that he walked into my office, and I had left an instruction that no process was to be received…Perhaps he didn’t know. We have a CCTV system in this place that has an audio capability. So, I have released the CCTV footage and the audio of his interaction with my front desk, and I have sent it to you. You can play it for the whole world to hear whether anyone at the front desk ever said what he said. What he did was a complete and barefaced lie,” he stated.

—citinewsroom