Mahama Ayariga storms court with Sumaila Biebel | Policy

Mahama Ayariga, Bawku's central deputy, stormed a high court in Accra with cattle herder Sumaila Biebel, whose lawsuit against the New Member of Parliament Patriotic Party (NPP) at the time Central Bawku, Adamu Dramani Sakande, paved the way for Ayariga's resumption of the Bawku headquarters in 2012.

Mr. Ayariga was in court for alleged tax fraud.

Judge Afia Serwaa Asare Botwe ordered that the member for Bawku Central appear in court on 4 June 2019 at 1 pm

The Speaker of Parliament, Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye, had to suspend his proceedings for 30 minutes earlier in the day to allow further consultations on the prosecution of the Bawku Central MP by the Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu.

Mr. Amidu sued the member for alleged fraud.

Mr. Ayariga had attempted to use parliamentary privileges which, in his view, did not allow the state to bring him to justice in the performance of his duties.

Interestingly, Mr. Biebel accompanied him to court.

Mr. Biebel's presence in court apparently to provide moral support to Mr. Ayariga left many people wondering if he was not sponsored by the attacker in 2012 to bring an action in court against the NPP deputy of Bawku Central, while in detention the legal action of Mr. Biebel.

Context

It will be recalled that Mr. Ayariga was a member of Bawku Central from 2005, but lost his seat in the 2008 elections to Mr. Dramani Sakande of the NPP.

However, Mr. Dramani Sakande was convicted and sentenced to imprisonment by a court for participating in the elections while he was a citizen of another country contrary to the 1992 Constitution of Ghana.

Bawku's headquarters were therefore vacant, which enabled Mr Ayariga to recover him in the 2012 legislative elections.

Adamu's trial

Adamu Sakande challenged the lawsuit and on May 23, 2012, the Supreme Court dismissed Mr. Dramani Sakande's complaint that he had "no business" in a civil case against him by the cattle rancher. .

At the time, the MP at the time was supposed to open his defense on July 16, 2012 while he was still a member of Parliament.

In March 2009, Mr. Biebel filed an appeal with the High Court contesting the admissibility of Mr. Dramani Sakande on the grounds that he held both British and Burkinabé pbadports.

The High Court, in a default judgment of July 15, 2009, ordered the MP of the then NPP to leave his seat.

Unsatisfied with the decision of the High Court, counsel for the then Member of Parliament appealed against this decision. The Court of Appeal then unanimously ruled that Mr. Biebel should have been the subject of an election petition, as the case bordered on the litigation.

Aggravated by the decision of the court of appeal, Mr. Biebel went to the Supreme Court, which decided to collect his evidence.

He testified and was cross-examined by Egbert Faibille, a member of Dramani Sakande's legal team.

The defense filed a "no-show" statement after Mr. Biebel had completed his main evidence and was cross-examined.

According to the defense, Mr. Biebel would not have fully complied with the rules of evidence and, for this reason, no evidence has been presented to the Supreme Court.

But the Supreme Court decided otherwise.