The Accra High Court yesterday issued criminal summons against the Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin North, James Gyakye Quayson.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Mrs Yvonne Atakora Obuobisa, told the court that all efforts to serve the accused was unsuccessful.
She told the court presided over by Justice Mary Maame Afua Nsenkyire that the prosecution issued hearing notice to the Assin North MP’s residence in Assin Bereku, in the Central Region, and Manet Estate, in Accra, through the police and a court bailiff.
Justice Nsenkyire ordered that the criminal summon, charge and fact sheet be posted at his home at Manet estate, and adjourned to February 15.
On February 3, the state preferred fresh charges of alleged forgery, deceit of public officer and perjury against Mr Quayson.
The charges were related to Mr Quayson’s refusal to renounce his Canadian citizenship when he filed his nomination forms to contest the Parliamentary election in the 2020 General Election.
The charges were contained in a document signed by the DPP and other charges include knowingly making a false statutory declaration and false declaration.
On July 28, 2021, a Cape Coast High Court declared the Parliamentary election held in the Assin North Constituency on December 7, 2020, a nullity and ordered the Electoral Commission (EC) who is a defendant in the case to conduct fresh election.
Not pleased with the high court decision, the accused appealed at the Court of Appeal, Cape Coast, but even before the court made pronouncement on the matter, the applicant, Mr Richard Takyi-Mensah, a teacher and a resident of Yamoransa in the Central Region of Ghana, filed a motion at the Supreme Court, and asked a seven-member panel presided over by Justice Jones Dotse to order the lawmaker to stop holding himself as MP.
Last week Tuesday when the case was called before the apex court, the judges directed the Registrar of the Court to make a direct service on Mr Quayson as an individual.
The facts according to the prosecution are that, the accused on July 26, 2019, signed an application form for a Republic of Ghana passport.
In the application form, Mrs Obiobisa said that accused indicated that he is a Ghanaian and does not have a dual citizenship.
Photos to provide pix of James Gyakye Quayson, MP for Assin North.
BY MALIK SULLEMANA
