The High Court has slated June 1, 2022, to sit and fix a date for the criminal trial of suspended Assin North Member of Parliament, James Gyakye Quayson.
The Republic brought criminal charges against Mr. Quayson on deceit of public officer, forgery of passport or travel certificate, knowingly making a false statutory declaration in contravention of the statutory declarations, perjury and false declaration for office.
According to the Republic, Mr. James Gyakye Quayson knowingly committed these offences in the lead up to the 2020 parliamentary elections, which he eventually won.
Even before the court sets the trial date, lawyers for Mr. Quayson, led by Mr. Tsatsu Tsikata, are seeking to strike down some of the charges.
Though they wanted the High Court to stay proceedings pursuant to an appeal initiated at the Court of Appeal, the Court ruled it is not inhibited by the notice of appeal.
Last month, the Supreme Court barred Mr. Quayson from carrying himself out as a Member of Parliament.
Mr. Quayson has since asked the Court to review its decision on the matter, and that application has already suffered two adjournments.
That was his first application to the Supreme Court against the Court of Appeal’s decision to strike out his appeal against the High Court’s decision to remove him as Assin North MP.
The second case involves the interpretation of article 94(2)(a) of the 1992 constitution, brought by Mr. Michael Ankomah-Nimfah, the plaintiff in the case.
It was in the course of this matter that the Supreme Court granted Mr. Ankomah-Nimfah’s prayer to temporarily suspend Mr. James Gyakye Quayson as a Member of Parliament.
This substantive matter was adjourned.