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Malorn Praise Aniba, a friend of Adamu Daramani Sakande, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bawku Central, who went with him to see his lawyer in London to begin the renunciation process, yesterday testified before an Accra High Court that the MP had indeed renounced his British citizenship. He told the court presided over by Justice Charles Quist, where the MP is being tried in connection with perjury, that in March 2007, he and the MP, who he said he had known for a long time, went to the firm of a lawyer called Stanley in London. The witness, who said he ran a specialist consultancy firm for a mental health organization, said this when he was led in examination in-chief by counsel for the MP, Yoni Kulendi. According to him, the accused person had earlier informed him of a decision to stand for parliamentary elections in Ghana and wanted to see a lawyer to start the process of renunciation so he led him to the firm of the said Stanley. He said when they first went there, the lawyer gave them some advice and afterwards told the MP that the process was simple, adding that once he finished with the process, he would have lost the citizenship. He said the lawyer was quick to point out that that once he (Sakande) wanted the citizenship back, he could get it again through a similarly simple procedure. He said Sakande subsequently came to Ghana and returned to London and asked him whether they could go to the same lawyer for the process to begin. He said he jokingly asked Sakande why he would renounce his citizenship while a whole lot of people were dreaming of acquiring British citizenship. He said when they got to the office, the accused person signed the documents in his presence and they left. The witness, who was asked if he could identify the documents signed by the MP, answered in the affirmative and identified some of the exhibits given to him by Mr. Kulendi which had earlier been tendered by the MP as those signed in his presence. Under cross-examination by Rexford Wiredu, the prosecuting attorney, the witness said he went there with the MP to meet the lawyer, adding that he was there when the documents were being signed by the MP. When asked how many people were there, he said it was just the lawyer, the accused person and himself. He said he could not remember the exact date the MP left for Ghana or the date he returned because he did not know his travel itinerary but said they went to see the lawyer much later after he returned. Mr. Wiredu asked how he came to know the MP, to which Aniba said by his name and when asked whether the MP had told him how he got to London, the witness explained that he did not like asking people about their background. Mr Aniba further noted that he later, through interaction with the MP and the late Hawa Yakubu who was also in London, got to know Sakande was from Bawku and was one of those persons who believed that there was the need for a change in the political system in Ghana. The witness was asked when he arrived in Ghana, to which he answered that he arrived last Monday. Mr. Wiredu quickly asked him to produce his passport because he would like to know when exactly he arrived and whether he was telling the truth. The case has been adjourned to today. At the last adjourned date, the MP said that he would get his witness ready to fly down from the United Kingdom to testify on his behalf. This follows the order at the Court of Appeal that the trial at the High Court presided over by Justice Charles Quist should continue. Yoni Kulendi, counsel for the MP, at the last hearing informed the court about their witness when Wiredu told the court that he had finished cross-examining the MP. Counsel for the MP also told the court that even though he was yet to inform the witness about it, he was sure that he would give a time that would be suitable for him to come and testify. The court of appeal, a few weeks ago, declared that the prosecution could not call a witness till the final determination of the appeal against the decision of the High Court to do so. The MP filed an application at the Court of Appeal for stay of proceedings at the High Court, pending the final determination of an appeal against the ruling of the High Court in which Justice Quist said he would allow the prosecuting attorney, Mr Wiredu, to call a witness in the case. Justices Yaw Appau, Isaac Duose and Dennis Adjei however ordered the MP to return to the High Court and continue with his evidence while his appeal was being heard.