Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, Sam Nartey George, is displeased by the manner in which the government has treated James Gyakye Quayson over the allegation of forgery and perjury.

He accused the government of abusing its power to bully an innocent citizen who has only sought to provide development to the people of Assin North Constituency but has been accused of having dual citizenship and breaching the law.

"It is just an embarrassing spectacle of how low this government has sunk that they have focused on Gyakye Quayson and have blatantly abusing power and incumbency. Trying to carry the Judiciary along," he told JoyNews on Thursday.

Contrary to claims by the Attorney-General that Mr Gyakye Quayson owed allegiance to both the United States of America and Ghana when he contested the 2020 Parliamentary election, Mr Nartey George stated that Mr Gyakye Quayson at the time he contested the elections did not have any citizenship aside from the Ghanaian citizenship.

"Gyakye Quayson at the time he swore the oath to become a Member of Parliament did not have any other citizenship."

He dismissed attempts to compare Mr Gyakye Quayson's case to that of Adamu Dramani Sakande. "They are completely different. Comparing apples and 'aliguintuguin' to wit soursop," he said.

In July 2012, a New Patriotic Party Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Adamu Dramani Sakande, was convicted by an Accra High Court after he was found guilty of perjury and forgery.

This was after he failed to denounce UK Citizenship before contesting for the Bawku Seat.

Highlighting the differences between the two cases, Mr Sam George said: "Adamu Dramani Sakande at the time he contested the election had three different nationalities."

"Adamu Dramani Sakande at the time he swore the oath to become a Member of Parliament on the night of 6th and 7th was still holding three citizenship. He was still traveling with his British passport after being sworn-in."

The Ningo-Prampram legislator therefore dared the government to provide Mr Gyakye Quayson’s other passport aside from his Ghanaian passport.

Background

The facts according to Deputy Attorney-General, Mr Tuah-Yeboah, are that, the accused on July 26, 2019, signed an application form for a Republic of Ghana passport in which accused indicated that he was a Ghanaian and does not have dual nationality.

The Deputy Attorney-General said that Mr Quayson, at the time, held a Canadian citizenship, issued on October 30, 2016, but failed to declare same on the application form.

Mr Tuah-Yeboah said based on alleged false information together with the other information provided by the accused on the passport application form, he was issued with a Ghanaian passport, number G2538667, on August 2, 2019.

Mr Quayson is currently on GH¢100,000 bail with one surety for alleged forgery, perjury and knowingly making false declaration.

An Accra High Court judge has declared that James Gyakye Quayson’s perjury and forgery trial will be conducted on a daily basis starting from July 4, 2023.

The court presided by Justice Mary Yanzuh had earlier ruled that the perjury and forgery trial involving Mr Gyakye Quayson will proceed on a day-to-day basis, starting from Tuesday, June 20, 2023.

Subsequently, the High Court set June 23 to rule on whether the trial of James Gyakye Quayson should be put on hold after the legal counsel of Mr Quayson led by Lawyer Tsatsu Tsikata filed processes urging the court to review its decision to hear the case on a daily basis. It then adjourned sitting to June 23.

In court today, the court after hearing the argument of Mr Quayson’s lawyers decided to begin the trail from July 4.