Charlotte Osei sues lawyer for aggrieved workers

Charlotte Osei sues lawyer for aggrieved workers

The Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC) , Charlotte Osei has sued the lawyer who signed the petition presented to the President by aggrieved employees of the Commission, Maxwell Opoku Agyemang.

The lawyer, Maxwell Opoku Agyemang signed the petition for the workers who were not named in the petition.

In the suit, Lawyer for Charlotte Osei, Thadeus Sory argued that the “the false and malicious publications by Defendant has injured the image of Plantiff and brought her hard won reputation into hatred, ridicule, odium, discredit, contempt, opprobrium and reproach.

She is therefore seeking among others, a declaration that “the statements that plaintiff is managerially and administratively inept” because Plantiff has no respect for the organizational structure of the Electoral Commission, “has poor human relations not befitting of any leader in public space” has “unilaterally transferred District Electoral Officers perceived to be pro NPP,” “…polarized the Commission along political lines” and disunited its members out at paragraphs 11, 12, 13, 20, 21 and 26 of the petition attached to Defendant’s letter conveying the petition to His Excellency the President of the Republic of Ghana are defamatory of plantiff.”

Some aggrieved employees of the Electoral Commission (EC) last week petitioned President Nana Akufo-Addo to dismiss the Chairperson of the Commission, Charlotte Osei.

The employees in a statement insisted Mrs. Osei should be impeached for among others, bringing the “Commission’s name into disrepute by single highhandedly petitioning EOCO on an alleged misappropriation of staff endowment fund for malicious reasons. ”

They further revealed that following her appointment as EC Chair, Mrs. Osei “compromised the independence and neutrality of the Commission by arranging for 2015 V8 Land Cruiser with registration WR 2291-15 from the office of the President for use as official vehicle without going through the procurement process or recourse to the Commission.”

In response Mrs. Osei threatened to sue the lawyer for defamation if he failed to disclose the names of his clients.

Maxwell Opoku Agyemang however refused, stating that he was ready to face Mrs. Osei in court.

How it all started

The aggrieved employees had petitioned the President to impeach Charlotte Osei over what they described as cronyism and financial malfeasance among others at the EC.

They are believed to have made the petition through their Lawyer, Maxwell Opoku Agyemang.

Charlotte Osei, in response demanded the list of the names of workers who had made the claims for her removal.

She also threatened to sue the petitioners for making unsubstantiated claims intended to damage her reputation.

Charlotte Osei said the suit was to enable she and her lawyer “commence legal action against them [petitioners] for the defamatory statements contained in their petition”

Mr. Agyemang subsequently called the bluff of Charlotte Osei, saying his clients were ready to face her in court.

“I’ll be very glad to meet them in court. If anybody suggests that there has been defamation, it will make my day. I’m not the type of person who will be intimidated by the use these words which would not even intimidate a fly. A petition has been sent and we will follow through the petition. We will make sure that that petition is proceeded with as required by law,” he said.