Details of criminal suit against Gyakye Quayson emerge

The ousted Assin North lawmaker, James Gyakye Quayson, has officially declared his intention to contest the upcoming Assin North by-election on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

This comes after the Electoral Commission of Ghana announced a by-election for the Assin North Constituency, on June 27, 2023, following the declaration of the seat as vacant by the Parliament of Ghana.

Parliament declared the seat vacant after a seven-member panel of the Supreme Court of Ghana ordered the House to expunge the name of James Gyakye Quayson as a Member of Parliament.

Justice Jones Victor Dotse, Justice Nene Amegatcher, Justice Mariama Owusu, Gertrude Araba Torkornoo, Justice Prof. Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu, Justice Yonny Kulendi and Justice Barbara Ackah-Yensu declared that Quayson was not qualified at the time he contested the election 2020 in the Michael Ankomah Nimfah vrs James Gyakye Quayson case.

However, there is still one case the former MP is in court for.

The State, on February 12, 2022, charged James Gyakye Quayson with five counts; deceit of a public officer, forgery of a passport, knowingly making a false statutory declaration, perjury, and false declaration.

The charge sheet of the suit has gone viral following the announcement of the former MP to contest in the upcoming by-elections.

Below are some details of the charges against Quayson in the criminal suit:

1. Deceit of public officer, contrary to section 251(b) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29)

James Gyakye Quayson on or about the 29th of July 2019 at the Passport Office, Accra with intent to facilitate the obtaining of a Ghanaian passport, deceived the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by making a false statement that you do not have a dual citizenship, a statement which you did not have a good reason to believe to be true at the time of making it.

2. Forgery of passport or travel certificate, contrary to section 15(1)(b) of the Passports and Travel Certificates Act, 1967 (NLCD 155).

James Gyakye Quayson on or about the 26th of July 2019 at the Passport Office, Accra, made a false statement that you do not have a dual citizenship for the purpose of procuring a passport, a statement you knew to be untrue at the time of making it.

3. Knowingly making a false statutory declaration, contrary to section 5 of the Statutory Declarations Act, 1971 (Act 389).

James Gyakye Quayson on or about 6th October 2020 at Assin Fosu made a statutory declaration that you do not owe allegiance to any country other than Ghana, a statement which you knew to be false in a material particular at the time of making it.

4. Perjury, contrary to section 210(1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).

James Gyakye Quayson on or about 6th October 2020 at Assin Fosu, made a false statement on oath that you do not owe allegiance to any country other than Ghana, a statement you did not have a reason to believe to be true at the time of making it.

5. False declaration for office, contrary to section 248 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).

James Gyakye Quayson on or about 8th October 2020 at the Electoral Commission Office, Accra, knowingly used a declaration that you do not owe allegiance to any country other than Ghana for the purpose of obtaining a public office as a Member of Parliament, a statement you knew to be material for obtaining that office.