By The High Court in Accra has fixed March 27, 2025. On this date, the court will decide. They will determine if Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin North James Gyakye Quayson should open his defence. This is in a trial where he is accused of deceiving a public officer to obtain a Ghanaian passport.
The court was expected to give its ruling on March 3. However, the Office of the Attorney-General failed to meet the court’s deadline. They needed to file written arguments. These arguments support whether they have made a sufficient case for the MP to open his defence.
Counsel for Quayson, Tsatsu Tsikata, told the court that the prosecution now has more time to file the address. Therefore, 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. Subsequently, the court gave the prosecution up to the close of today to file its written arguments.
Not guilty
Mr Quayson is facing charges of forgery and perjury. These charges are related to certain alleged offences during the run-up to the 2020 Assin North parliamentary election.
He has pleaded not guilty to five counts of forgery of passport or travel certificate. He has also pleaded not guilty to knowingly making a false statutory declaration. Additionally, he has pleaded not guilty to perjury and false declaration for office.
The prosecution claims that Mr Quayson allegedly made a false statement to the Passport Office. He stated that he did not hold a passport to another country when he applied for a Ghanaian Passport.
In addition, the prosecution has accused Mr Quayson of making a false declaration to the Electoral Commission (EC). The accusation states that he (Quayson) claimed he did not owe any allegiance to a foreign country. This statement was made when he filed to contest as a candidate for the Assin North seat.
The prosecution closed its case on February 12, 2025. Afterward, the court ordered both sides to file written submissions. These submissions were to determine whether a case had been made by the prosecution. In all, the prosecution called six witnesses before bringing its case to a close.
