Judge wants Quayson freed …calls Akufo-Addo, Attorney General

A Justice of the High Court of Ghana, His Lordship Justice Daniel Mensah, who doubles as Dormaahene in the Bono Region, under the stool name, Osagyefo Oseadeyo Agyeman Badu II has appealed to President Akufo-Addo through the Attorney General and Minister of Justice to discontinue with the criminal trial of James Gyakye Quayson, newly re-elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin North Constituency.

Osagyefo Oseadeyo, who is also the President of the Bono Regional House of Chiefs, explained that the reelection of James Gyakye Quayson by the Assin North constituents shows that the people of that constituency want him to remain as their representative in Parliament and therefore the continuation of the criminal charges against him will amount to an insult to them.

“As a matter of urgency, I  am appealing to the President, if he has any role to play, and the Attorney-General to file a nolle Prosequi to abort the criminal case against Mr Quayson”, he said.

He continued: “I will not comment on the substantive case which is pending before the Court but I am appealing to the Attorney General of Ghana to discontinue the case [against James Gyakye Quayson] because he has that power to discontinue any case at Court.

“At the Assin North by-election, the same electorates again voted to retain James Gyakye Quayson as their MP and so it will be an insult on the electorates of Assin North should this case continue at the Court,” the Chief noted.

Osagyefo Oseadeyo Agyeman Badu II was speaking on Saturday July , 1, 2023 at the Professor John Evans Atta Mills Commemorative Lecture organised  in Sunyani under the theme: “The man John Evans Atta Mills – 10 years on”.

The Government is prosecuting James Gyakye Quayson for alleged forgery and perjury regarding his dual citizenship in the run up to the 2020 parliamentary elections.

Mr Quayson’s parliamentary membership was revoked after the Supreme Court invalidated his election in the 2020 polls because, according to the Court, he owed allegiance to another country, Canada.

His legal challenges began when a group petitioned the Electoral Commission in the Central Region to disqualify Mr Quayson, claiming that he owed allegiance to Canada.

The Supreme Court however in a unanimous decision ruled that Mr. Quayson was not qualified at the time of filing his nomination forms.

It further held that the EC allowing him to contest when he had not shown evidence of renunciation of his citizenship of Canada is unconstitutional.

It further declared that his election was unconstitutional, null and void and of no effect.

His swearing-in was equally declared to be unconstitutional with Parliament ordered to expunge his name from its records.

Mr Gyakye Quayson is currently facing criminal charges in court and found guilty, Mr Quayson could face 10 years in prison in hard labour.