All efforts to serve Assin North MP with criminal summons have proved futile – Prosecutors tell court

Minority to protest against criminal charges on Assin North MP

James Quayson adduced sufficient evidence to satisfy the Electoral Commission

The state prosecutor has said all efforts to serve Assin North MP, James Gyakye Quayson, with criminal summons have proved futile.

This comes after a seven-member Supreme Court panel presided over by Justice Jones Dotse directed the registrar to ensure that the MP in question, James Gyakye Quayson, is served criminal summons in person.

Member of Parliament for Assin North Constituency in the Central Region, James Gyakye Quayson, has been charged with perjury, deceit of public officer, forgery of travel certificate, among others by the state.

The charge sheet filed at the registrar of the High Court preferred five counts against the MP, which includes deceit of public officer”, contrary to section 251(b) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), forgery of passport or travel certificate, contrary to section 15(1)(b) of the Passports and Travel Certificates Act, 1967 (NLCD 155), knowingly making a false statutory declaration, contrary to section 5 of the Statutory Declarations Act, 1971 (Act 389) among others.

The accused person was expected to respond to these charges on Thursday, February 3, but failed to show up in Court, which resulted in an adjournment to February 9.

On Tuesday, February 1, the Supreme Court also ordered Mr Quayson from being addressed as part of the Legislature.

The order comes after the High Court ruled that Quayson’s election was unconstitutional, null and void and is not fit to be a Member of Parliament for the reason of possessing dual citizenship, which contravenes Article 94(2)(a) of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana.

This action by the Supreme Court bars him from performing any further parliamentary duties.

Meanwhile, the Minority in Parliament has questioned the rationale behind charging James Gyakye Quayson with false declaration, particularly because the Electoral Commission has previously cleared him.

According to Haruna Iddrissu, the Assin North MP provided sufficient evidence at the time the declaration was made upon which the EC cleared him eligible to contest the elections.

“It must be placed on record that the legal propriety of the said declaration made by Hon. James Quayson was challenged at the time he submitted same to the Electoral Commission, whereupon the EC invited Hon. James Quayson and his detractors for an investigation of the said complaint. The Electoral Commission subsequently determined the matter in favour of Hon. James Quayson, after he had adduced sufficient evidence to satisfy the Electoral Commission that he was very much qualified to stand for election, whereupon he was cleared to contest the election. In the light of these facts, how can it properly contend that Hon. James Quayson criminally used a false declaration to deceive the Electoral Commission in order to stand for the said election?” Haruna Iddrissu said