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Article 55
 

(1) No person shall be allowed to inspect any of the documents mentioned in subsection (2) except under an order of the High Court.

(2) The documents referred to in subsection (1) are

(a) the counterfoils of the ballot papers sent to postal voters in pursuance of section 40,

(b) the counterfoils of the ballot papers delivered to special voters in pursuance of section 82 of the Act of 1992 (as applied by section 41),

(c) the documents referred to in subsections (2) and (3) of section 76 of the Act of 1992 (as applied by section 40), and

(d) the documents referred to in section 54 (1).

(3) An order referred to in subsection (1) shall not be made unless the court is satisfied that the inspection or production of the documents concerned is required for the purpose of instituting or maintaining a prosecution for an offence under a provision of the Act of 1992 specified in section 59 and as applied by that section or for the purpose of a petition.

(4) An order referred to in subsection (1) may be made subject to such conditions as to persons, time and place and mode of inspection or production as the court may think expedient and shall make provision to ensure that the manner in which any voter voted shall not be disclosed.

(5) Where an order is made under subsection (1) in relation to a document referred to in that subsection

(a) the production in a court by the presidential returning officer of that document shall, until the contrary is proved, he sufficient proof that the document relates to the election specified in the order, and

(b) any endorsement appearing on any packet produced in a court by the presidential returning officer shall, until the contrary is shown, be sufficient evidence that the contents of the packet are what they are stated to be in the endorsement.