The High Court in Accra will today, July 11 deliver a ruling on the application for stay of proceedings in the case involving Assin North legislator, James Gyakye Quayson.
The MP is undergoing trial at the High Court in Accra on charges of forgery and perjury.
Lawyers for the embattled MP have 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. Prosecution led by Godfred Dame however opposed the application.
James Gyakye Quayson’s woes 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.
Gyakye Quayson cites KT Hammond for contempt
In a related development, the Member of Parliament for Assin North, has cited the MP for Adansi Asokwa who doubles as the Minister of Trade and Industry, KT Hammond for contempt.
Mr. Quayson has filed the necessary processes at the High Court, to get the court to punish KT Hammond for making what he deemed as prejudicial comments in an ongoing case against him.
According to Mr. Quayson’s lawyers, Mr. Hammond in a media interview accused their client of being guilty of the case he’s standing trial for and stated that he will go to jail.
