Ghana is insisting that any attempt to stop her from continuous exploration of the Tweneboa-Enyenra-Ntomme(TEN) oil field will aggravate the dispute with Cote d’Ivoire and cause irreparable damage to the relationship of the nation.
Ivory Coast, which is claimant to the TEN fields operated by Tullow Oil in Ghana, told a panel of judges at the International Tribunal in Hamburg that Ghana risks losing the disputed oil fields if she decides to continuously explore the field.
[contextly_sidebar id=”39wFnxUhitu5x8F9Bnxlx3gFJewEx2Nj”]Ivory Coast further questioned the credibility of data and maps presented by Ghana to justify her claim over the Tweneboa-Enyenra-Ntomme (TEN) fields operated by Tullow Oil.
An external lawyer for Ivory Coast stated that “Ghana cannot be trusted to have independently secured these maps and the data without Ivory Coast having copies” and added that “since these maps are in the sole possession of Ghana they should be prevented from using them in this litigation, because the authenticity of these maps cannot be independently verified.”
But Attorney General Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong in her final submissions insists if the ITLOS grants the provisional measures it will be an injustice to the republic of Ghana and hence the need for the tribunal to reject the case of the Ivoirians.
“It is, we suggest, clear that Cote D’lvoire’s attempt to prevent the continuation of the existing activities is likely to seriously aggravate this dispute and make its resolution much harder.
“The measures sought by Cote D’lvoire will guarantee disproportionate, irreparable harm to Ghana. They will aggravate this issue and will cause irremediable injustice. On behalf of Ghana, I therefore formally request that the application for provisional measures be declined,”the AG said.
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By: Marian Efe Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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