The Member of
Parliament for Assin North, James Gyakye Quayson’s application for a stay of
proceedings has been dismissed by an Accra High Court.
However, lead
counsel Tsatsu Tsikata has announced the intention to file an application with
the Court of Appeal, seeking a stay of proceedings.
The MP is
undergoing trial at the High Court in Accra on charges of forgery and perjury.
Lawyers for the
embattled MP moved an application for the court to stay proceedings to allow
for the Court of Appeal to hear its appeal to review a decision by the trial
judge to hear the case on a daily basis.
Lead counsel for
the team, Tsatsu Tsikata argued that any decision not to stay the proceedings
will be prejudging the appeal. But the Prosecution led by Godfred Dame opposed
the application.
The woes of Mr
Gyakye Quayson began with his declaration of intent to contest the Assin North
Parliamentary elections in 2020 when a group calling itself ‘Concerned Citizens
of Assin North’ petitioned the Electoral Commission in the Central Region to withdraw
the candidature of Mr. Quayson, arguing that he was a Canadian citizen.
Despite the
petition, Mr Quayson managed to sail through to contest representing the
National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the 2020 parliamentary polls and got
17,498 votes representing (55.21%) while Abena Durowaa Mensah, the New
Patriotic Party’s candidate had 14,193 representing (44.79%).
Following Mr.
Quayson’s victory, a resident of Assin Bereku in the Central Region, filed a
petition at the Cape Coast High Court seeking to annul the declaration of him
as the MP of Assin North.
Three years
after the court case started, the Supreme Court on May 17 concluded its
proceedings on the case and directed Parliament to expunge his name from
its records.
He subsequently
won the seat again through a by-election.
The Court’s
decision on Tuesday comes after the Minority in Parliament once again boycotted
business activities in Parliament in support of the trial of James Gyakye
Quayson, the Member of Parliament for Assin North.
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