Gyakye QuaysonÂ
A High Court in Accra has set March 27, 2025, to decide whether or not Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin North, James Gyakye Quayson ought to mount a defence in his trial for deceit of public officer in obtaining a Ghanaian passport, and other charges.
The Office of the Attorney General has been given up to close of today to file its written argument in support of whether they have made sufficient case for the MP to open his defence.
The prosecution failed to meet the deadline set by the court for them and the defence to file their addresses simultaneously, although lawyers for the accused have filed their written submission.
Tsatsu Tsikata, counsel for Mr. Quayson, told the court yesterday that, since the prosecution now has more time to file the address, they should address the issues raised by the defence.
Justice Mary Yanzuh adjourned the trial to March 27, 2025, to give a ruling on the submissions.
The prosecution closed its case on February 12, 2025, after which the court ordered both sides to file written submissions on whether a case has been made by the prosecution.
Mr. Quayson has been charged with five counts of deceit of public officer, forgery of passport or travel certificate, knowingly making a false statutory statement, perjury and false declaration of office.
The offences relate to the MP’s activities in the run up to the 2020 parliamentary election, where he allegedly acquired a Ghanaian passport without renouncing his Canadian citizenship, as well as making a statutory declaration on his nomination form that he owed allegiance to no country other than Ghana.
The prosecution had recalled its fifth witness on February 12 to tender in the original and the full compliments of certain documents, but was unable to do so because the documents were yet to be made available by the Passport Office and the Electoral Commission.
He, however, tendered in evidence the Parliamentary Nomination Form of the MP and was briefly cross-examined by Tsatsu Tsikata, counsel for the accused.
The witness insisted that the MP, at the time of filing his nomination, had both Ghanaian and Canadian citizenship.
“I say so because a copy his Canadian passport which came to my custody during investigation was authenticated by the Canadian High Commission in Ghana,” he added.
Esi Dentaa Yankah, a Principal State Attorney, after the witness was discharged, told the court the prosecution was closing its case.
Justice Mary Yanzuh, the trial judge therefore, directed both the accused and the prosecution to file the submission of no case and a response to same simultaneously within two weeks.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak