A Sekondi High Court, presided over by Justice Dr. Richmond Osei Hwere, has ordered the Member of Parliament (MP) for Jomoro Constituency in the Western Region, Dorcas Toffey, to produce for inspection the certificate renouncing her Ivorien citizenship.
The court has, therefore, given ten days for the documents to be produced, and same inspected at the Registry of the High Court on the July 1, 2021.
The order of the court comes after the applicant in the case, Joshua Emmua Kwofie, filed a motion through his lawyers to order the Legislator to produce the document indicating the renunciation of her Ivorien citizenship.
The applicant decided to file the motion to compel the respondent to produce the document after she declined to do so through a letter from his lawyers. The respondent, however, argued in her affidavit that she was a Ghanaian as at the time she filed her nomination to contest the Jomoro Constituency seat, and that if the applicant was dis-satisfied, the burden of proof lay on him.
The applicant then accepted the challenge and proceeded to court to compel the Jomoro Legislator to produce evidence that she had, indeed, renounced her Ivorien citizenship at the time she filed to contest the seat.
After arguments and counter-argument advanced by both counsel for the applicant and respondent, the court yesterday gave its verdict.
Justice Dr. Richmond Osei Hwere ruled that the law requiring renunciation of citizenship was universal, and that the applicant had made a compelling case as to why the respondent needed to produce evidence of the renunciation of her citizenship.
He added that the document being sought by the applicant was relevant in the case, and same would help the court to adjudicate fairly.
For that reason, the court was of the view that the Jomoro Legislator should produce for inspection the certificate of renunciation of her Ivorien citizenship, considering that the document was within the custody and power of the respondent.
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