Gyakye Quayson freed at last…After 3 years of Akufo-Addo’s torture
Gyakye Quayson freed at last…After 3 years of Akufo-Addo's torture
The Member of Parliament for Assin North constituency in the central region, Mr. James Gyakye Quayson, has been acquitted and discharged by the High Court after facing criminal charges linked to allegations of dual citizenship.
The Assin North lawmaker who was put under immerse pressure by the ex-while Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo-led New Patriotic Party government to remove him from Parliament on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, heave a sigh of relief after the criminal jurisdiction of the Accra High Court presided over by Justice Mary Ekue Yanzuh pronounced him not guilty of all the charges leveled against him.
The ruling, delivered on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, concludes a long-standing legal battle over claims that Mr. Quayson held Canadian citizenship when he filed to contest the 2020 parliamentary elections, an act the prosecution argued violated Ghana’s 1992 Republican Constitution.
The Assin North MP, who consistently denied the allegations, had maintained that he renounced his Canadian citizenship before filing his nomination.
The acquittal followed a submission of no case to answer filed by Quayson’s legal team. In its decision, the court held that the prosecution had failed to prove the essential elements of the alleged offences.
Justice Mary Ekue Yanzuh ruled that Mr. Quayson had not made any false declarations in his 2020 nomination forms. At the time he declared that he owed allegiance to no country other than Ghana, the court found that he had already submitted an application to renounce his Canadian citizenship demonstrating that he had no dishonest intent.
The court also pointed out inconsistencies in the passport summary sheet and statutory declarations provided by prosecution witnesses, undermining the credibility of the evidence presented.
As a result, the judge concluded that there was no basis to call Mr. Quayson to open his defence.
The Assin North MP had faced five charges, including forgery of a passport or travel certificate, knowingly making a false statutory declaration, perjury, and false declaration for office.
The prosecution alleged that he made false claims to the Passport Office and the Electoral Commission by stating that he did not hold allegiance to another country.
With the High Court’s ruling, the alleged criminality cloud over Mr. Quayson’s continued stay in Ghana’s legislative House as the MP representing the good people of Assin North has been lifted, thus allowing him to continue his work as a legislator without further legal obstruction.
Speaking to some journalists after the ruling, the Assin North lawmaker expressed relief over the court’s decision.
