Pressure is mounting on the Akufo-Addo-led government to discontinue the trial involving the newly elected Member of Parliament for Assin North, James Gyakye Quayson.
This follows Quayson’s victory in the Tuesday, June 27, 2023 by-election which was triggered by his removal from Parliament by a Supreme Court ruling.
The first to make the call for the state to halt the trial was a US-based lawyer and academic, Prof Kwaku Asare also known as Kwaku Azar who urged the Attorney General to file a nolle prosequi, which is a legal term indicating that a prosecutor will not proceed with a case.
In a Facebook post on June 29, Azar wrote, “GOGO pleads with AG to nolle prosequi the criminal charges against MP-elect. Da Yie!”
Those sentiments have been echoed by other prominent figures, including a renowned Chief and a clergyman.
Prophet Amoako Atta, the founder and leader of Parliament Chapel International, also expressed his support for Gyakye Quayson. During a sermon on July 2, Prophet Amoako Atta referred to Quayson as the Joseph of the largest opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and stated that it was time for the government to show mercy.
“The man at Assin, you can tamper justice with mercy, because that man had everything abroad. Whatever he dreamt of and abandoned everything to come to Ghana to serve his people, be careful.”
“That man is more than an MP, he is the Joseph in NDC. I have given that prophecy, write it down. Any attempt to destroy him won’t work,” he stressed.
The latest high-profile figure to add his voice to those calls is Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Agyemang Badu II, the paramount chief of the Dormaa Traditional Area and President of the Bono Regional House of Chiefs.
The chief over the weekend made a passionate appeal to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame to urgently abort the trial against James Gyakye Quayson.
He also urged the state to file a nolle prosequi to discontinue the case in the larger public interest.
“As a matter of urgency, I am appealing to the Attorney-General, President of the Republic, if he has any role to play, that trial should be aborted. The Attorney-General should as a matter of urgency file a nolle prosequi to end that particular decision,” he emphasised.
James Gyakye Quayson has pleaded not guilty to charges including deceit of a public officer, forgery of passport or travel certificates, making a false statutory declaration, perjury, and false declaration for office.
These charges stemmed from his alleged dual citizenship at the time of his participation in the 2020 polls.
The Accra High Court ordered a daily trial, but Quayson’s lawyers have challenged this ruling in the Court of Appeal.