The Supreme Court has by unanimous decision ordered Parliament to expunge the name of James Gyakye Quayson as a Member of Parliament (MP).
The ruling by the seven-member panel of the Supreme Court bars Mr. Quayson from holding himself as a Member of Parliament.
Mr Quayson was standing trial for counts of deceit of a public officer, forgery of a passport, knowingly making a false statutory declaration, perjury, and false declaration.
On February 12, 2022, Mr Quayson filed for exclusion of the statement of the prosecution’s first witness, but that was dismissed by the High Court and a subsequent application for certiorari to quash the decision of the high and prohibition of the judge presiding over the case at the high court was dismissed by the Supreme Court.
The MP through his lawyer Tsatsu Tsikata has invoked the review jurisdiction of the Supreme Court seeking to overturn its earlier decision.
In November 2020, 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 owes allegiance to Canada.
James Gyakye Quayson, who stood on the tick of the National Democratic Congress as its parliamentary candidate in the Assin North constituency for the 2020 polls got 17,498 votes representing (55.21%) while Abena Durowaa Mensah, the New Patriotic Party’s candidate had 14,193 representing (44.79%).
Michael Ankomah-Nimfa a teacher and resident of Yamoransa in the Central Region, subsequently filed a petition at the Cape Coast High Court after the election seeking to annul the declaration of Mr. Quayson as the MP Assin North.
The Cape Coast High Court in the Central Region upheld Mr. Akomah-Ninfa’s request and declared the 2020 parliamentary election held in the Assin North Constituency as null and void because Mr Quayson breached the provisions of the constitution with regard to dual citizenship.
Mr. Quayson subsequently appealed the judgment, at the Court of Appeal in Cape Coast.
Article 94 (2) says a person shall not be qualified to be a Member of Parliament if he owes allegiance to a country other than Ghana.
The Supreme Court in March 2020 unanimously dismissed an application filed by James Gyakye Quayson to quash a decision of the Court of Appeal not to refer article 94 (2) (a) to the Supreme Court for interpretation.
The five-member panel, also dismissed by a majority decision of 3-2, another application from Mr. Quayson for a stay of appeal proceedings at the Appellate Court and for referral of Article 94 (2) (a) of the 1992 Constitution to the Supreme Court for interpretation.
The panel at the time was composed of Justices Gabriel Pwamang as President, Agnes Dordzie, Gertrude Torkornoo, Clemence Honyenuga, and Yonny Kulendi.
