�Bawku MP Has Case To Answer�

Anthony Wiredu, the state attorney in the trial of the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bawku Central, Adamu Daramani Sakande, has told an Accra Fast Track High Court that the evidence of the prosecution witnesses who have been called so far proves that the MP has a case to answer. He told the court presided over by Justice Charles Quist that the prosecution team has put in all the necessary ingredients that show that a prima facie case has been established against the accused person �so he should open his defence.� The state attorney said this in response to a submission of no case by counsel for the MP, Egbert Faibille after the prosecution team closed their case a few weeks ago. The trial judge asked the accused person, who is a security management specialist, to open his defence. Mr. Wiredu noted that the security management specialist knew he was a Burkinabe citizen and acquired a British passport, stressing that he decided to contest the 2008 parliamentary elections, which was unlawful. He alleged that the accused person had both Bawku and Burkina Faso as places of birth on his documents and forged documents in order to acquire a Ghanaian passport, explaining that the total number of passports in the possession of the accused person were about four. The state attorney said the laws of the land did not allow non-citizens to vote or to be voted for, but he quickly recanted his words after the judge told him that the laws recognised that dual citizens had the right to exercise their franchise. However, Mr. Wiredu insisted that he meant they could not stand for public office. Explaining further, he said the MP knew that he was a prohibited immigrant and yet committed perjury by swearing an oath that he was a Ghanaian, noting that he was allowed to file his nomination to stand for the parliamentary seat in the Bawku Central constituency. In addition, he said the security management specialist had deceived a public officer when he contested for the seat. Mr. Faibille told the court that that he would need to go through the submission of the state attorney before he responds to the issues raised by the state attorney, but the trial judge asked him to file his response by March 19 2010. When Yonni Kulendi, who was counsel for the accused person, asked if he could say for sure that the document was a passport, Nolasco Nyiedu, the Immigration officer admitted that the document issued by the Burkinabe Authorities to Mr. Sakande was basically �a travel document. The Electoral Commission (EC) Officer in the area, Azu Bosco Anyigire who also gave evidence, said it was the natives of Bawku who duly nominated the accused person, adding that he presented his nomination forms, tax clearance certificate among other things. Sumaila Bielbiel, the complainant and a cattle dealer, in his evidence, told the court that he only saw the passport of the MP in the newspapers. The investigator also admitted that he never invited Mr. Sakande for questioning during investigations and never saw any of his alleged passports. The investigator however said even though he wrote to the British High Commission to find out if the passport holder was a British citizen, he was only told that the number was indeed a British passport, but he did not say whether the accused had denounced it. When Mr. Faibille asked if the British High Commission had responded to letter, the investigator noted that there was also nothing to show that he had denounced his citizenship.