Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the member of parliament for North Tongu, has lamented on the impact that Gyakye Quayson’s trial will have on Ghana’s Parliament House.
The politician claimed that each time the Minority abstains from voting in the House in order to support Quayson in court, it will diminish the standing of democracy in the nation.
This, according to Ablakwa, is as a result of James Gyakye Quayson’s aggressive prosecution by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
“It’s a shame that parliamentary business & democratic cooperation will henceforth suffer because of Akufo-Addo’s belligerent persecution of the overwhelmingly twice-elected Assin North MP,” Ablakwa Tweeted.
In order to accompany the minority caucus’ leader, Ato Forson, and the member of parliament (MP) for Assin North, James Gyakye Quayson, to their separate trials, the minority caucus was missing in parliament today, Thursday, July 6, 2023.
On Tuesday, July 4, 2023, the Minority in Parliament made it clear that they would refrain from taking part in legislative proceedings on days when Assin North MP James Gyakye Quayson was due in court.
Minority Leader, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson declared that in an expression of unity, the whole Minority caucus will follow Mr. Quayson to court as a sign of their opposition to what they see as on-going persecution against him.
EC Not Complaining About Gyakye Quayson’s Case
Buem MP, Kofi Adams, on his part claimed that even the Electoral Commission (EC) is not claiming that there was any type of deception in the case against James Gyakye Quayson.
He stated that the EC is aware that before running for the seat in the 2020 election, Quayson underwent the required legal procedures to relinquish his Canadian citizenship.
Adams further emphasized that the EC carefully examined Gyakye Quayson’s qualifications and determined that he was qualified to run for office. He clarified that James Gyakye Quayson took the oath of office as a Ghanaian after being elected.
“They saw everything about it and still thought that he was qualified to contest that election. That is why the Electoral Commission is not a complainer. That is why the Electoral Commission is not saying that they have been deceived by anybody because they were never deceived.”
Kofi Adams
Moreover, Mr. Adams said that the Central Region authorities agreed it was beyond their purview when information about the citizenship status of the Assin North MP became public.
A committee made up of Attorneys was then formed to review the paperwork pertaining to Gyake Quayson’s identity after the matter was presented to the EC’s chair, Madam Jean Mensa. According to Adams, the committee ruled that Gyakye Quayson was eligible to run for office after reviewing the records, including the MP’s renunciation certificate.
Moreover, a recording of President Akufo-Addo speaking negatively about James Gyakye Quayson at a campaign rally was played during Gyakye Quayson’s open court hearing today.
However, Tsatsu Tsikata, the attorney defending Quayson, used the recording as a point of reference in his defense against claims that his client had been subjected to disparaging remarks.
Tsikata made a motion on behalf of Quayson asking that the trial be postponed until the Court of Appeal rules on the appeal contesting the court’s choice to hear the case every day. He highlighted that Quayson’s right to a fair trial had been violated by the President’s comments.
Nevertheless, Godfred Yeboah Dame, the Attorney-General, intervened, and claimed that he thought it was unfair to only play a segment of the recording. He stated that the entire video should have been shown to the court since he felt that only 15 seconds of the tape lacked proper context.
Once again, Tsikata retorted that granting the request for a delay would suggest that the trial’s outcome was already set. He emphasized the significance of taking into account how the President’s comments can affect how fair the procedures are.
The High Court has therefore extended the case until July 11, so that it can rule on the request for a stay of proceedings.
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