Parliament: Minority Group vows to resist attempts to prosecute MP for Assin North

The Minority in Parliament has vowed to resist moves to prosecute the embattled Member of Parliament for Assin North, James Gyakye Quayson.

According to Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, the suit brought against the MP is an insult to a pending petition before the Court of Appeal.

This follows criminal charges including forgery and perjury filed against the MP by the Attorney- General’s Office.

Also, the MP has been slapped with an additional charge of deceit and knowingly making a false declaration to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that he did not owe allegiance to another country to acquire a Ghanaian passport.

On the charge of perjury, the State accuses the MP of making a false statement at Assin Fosu in the Central region, that he does not owe allegiance to any country other than Ghana, a statement he did not have a reason to believe to be true at the time of making it.

The MP who was expected to appear before an Accra High court today, Thursday, February 3, 2022, didn’t show up as prosecutors narrated how they had been unable to serve him with the summons.

The prosecutors further averred that the accused was called on the phone about the charges and a message was sent to him but the police were unable to personally reach him.

The court subsequently directed that a hearing notice be issued and served on the MP directing him to appear in court on Wednesday, February 9, 2022.

At a press conference in parliament today, Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu questioned why the New Patriotic Party (NPP) was hellbent on preventing Mr Quayson from holding himself as an MP at a time, the Appeals Court is yet to rule on the substantive matter.

“Also, an application for a stay of execution of the Cape Coast High Court’s annulment of the Assin North Parliamentary elections, filed by Mr Quayson, is still pending before the Court of Appeal.”

“Under the circumstances, the lawful and reasonable thing for the Ghana Police and the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and their surrogates to do is to abide by the decision of the Court of Appeal on these processes as their modicum contribution to the respect for the principles of the rule of law,” Haruna Iddrisu stated.

“Any attempt by the Police to prosecute James Quayson the conclusion or assumption that he was not or not qualified to contest the 2020 parliamentary election pending the final decision by the Supreme Court is only prejudicial of the Court of Appeal and therefore contemptuous of the Court of Appeal, and an obvious disrespect to the rule of law, and the rule to respect an independent arbiter of the judiciary.”

The Minority leader further added that the suit against the Assin North MP is part of a grand scheme by the Akufo-Addo led government to reduce their numbers in the Chamber and have the controversial Electronic Transactions Levy (E-Levy) Bill passed.

Source: Thenewsroomonline