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Opinions of Monday, 20 May 2013

Columnist: Jackson, Margaret

As The Counting Of The Pink Sheets Begins Today……

By Margaret Jackson

May 19, 2013


The nation’s attention will be glued to the counting of the pink sheets by KPMG, the accounting firm that has been tasked by the Supreme Court (SC) to audit the pink sheets as the firm begins its work today.

The counting was ordered by the justices of the SC following a request by the counsel of the third respondents, Mr Tsatsu Tsikata that they received far less than 11,842 pink sheet exhibits deposed by the three petitioners of the case.

According to the petitioners, the pinks sheets submitted by the petitioners are inundated with duplicates, triplicates and quadruplicates, thereby making it far less than 11,842 if the dupes are backed out.

However, the petitioners ably aided by Dr Mahamadu Bawumia have consistently maintained that the number of the pink sheets they submitted adds up to 11,842.

But some information that I have laid my hands on may constitute a make or break for the petitioners if at the end of the counting; the total number comes up short. The information below gives a breakdown of the number of pink sheets submitted by the petitioners in their second amended affidavits.

MB-C, MB-C-1 TO MB-C-319
MB-D, MB-D-1 TO MB-D-121
MB-E, MB-E-1 TO MB-E-373
MB-F, MB-F-1 TO MB-F-65
MB-G, MB-G-1 TO MB-G-19
MB-H, MB-H-1 TO MB-H-881
MB-J, MB-J-1 TO MB-J-195
MB-K, MB-K-1 TO MB-K-70
MB-L, MB-L-1 TO MB-L-378
MB-M, MB-M-1 TO MB-M-1,067
MB-N, MB-N-1 TO MB-N-185
MB-0, MB-O-1 TO MB-O-58
MB-P, MB-P-1 TO MB-P-6,822
MB-Q, MB-Q-1 TO MB-Q-506
MB-S, MB-S-1 TO MB-S-309
MB-T, MB-T-1 TO MB-T-2
MB-U, MB-U-1
MB-V, MB-V-1 TO MB-V-11
MB-W, MB-W-1 TOMB-W-3
MB-X, MB-X-1 TO MB-X-7
MB-Y, MB-Y-1
MB-Z, MB-Z-1 TO MB-Z-3
MB-AA, MB-AA-1
MB-AB, MB-AB-1 TO MB-AB-22

If you add the number of pink sheets on the amended affidavits above the total comes up to 11,436, which is short by 406 pink sheets.

The second table below has the list of labelled boxes with pink sheets submitted to the Supreme Court by the NPP. Even when you count the total number of pink sheets in these boxes which has dupes, triplicates and quadruplicates it also adds up to 11,013 which is also short by 829 pink sheets.

MB-C, MB-C-1 TO MB-C-319
MB-D, MB-D-1 TO MB-D-121
MB-E, MB-E-1 TO MB-E-373
MB-F
MB-G
MB-H(a)
MB-H(b)
MB-J, MB-J-1 TO MB-J-84
MB-K TO MB-K-69
MB-L, MB-L-1 TO MB-L-357
MB-M-300 TO MB-M-1,067
MB-N, MB-N-1 TO MB-N-185
MB-N, MB-N-1 TO MB-N-184
MB-0, MB-O-1 TO MB-O-55
MB-P, MB-P-1 TO MB-P-475
MB-P-476 TO MB-P-1234
MB-P-1240 TO MB-P-2069
MB-P-2633 TO MB-P-3809
MB-P-3810 TO MB-P-4454
MB-P-4455 TO MB-P-4872
MB-P-4873 TO MB-P-5172
MB-P-5120 TO MB-P-5965
MB-P-5966 TO MB-P-6822
MB-Q, MB-Q-1 TO MB-Q-907
MB-S
MB-T TO MB-T-2
MB-U
MB-V
MB-W
MB-X, MB-X-1 TO MB-X-7
MB-Y, MB-Y-1
MB-Z, MB-Z-3
MB-AA, MB-AA-1
MB-AB, MB-AB-1 TO MB-AB-22

Therefore, as the counting begins, one wonders what the final number of the pink sheets will be. If the dupes as being claimed by the NDC are backed out, are we still going to hit the NPP’s magic number of 11,842 pink sheets?

The other question that comes to mind is, if the NPP number of pink sheets comes less than expected, what will its implication be at the SC? Will the justices conclude that the NPP has short-changed them and the respondents?

Another thing that comes to mind is, assuming the numbers by the NPP does not add up will the SC throw out the case on technical grounds? As we wait for the final count of the pink sheets these are the questions that should engage the minds of all Ghanaians.


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