Gyakye Quayson to face High Court over criminal charges

The unseated Member of Parliament for Assin North, James Gyakye Quayson, would face the High Court in Accra on Friday, June 16, 2023, over the criminal charges levelled against him by the state.

Quayson was recently ousted from parliament after the Supreme Court of Ghana ruled that he was ineligible to contest in the 2020 parliamentary election because he failed to renounce his Canadian citizenship in time.

But there is still one case the former MP has to face in court after the Office of the Attorney General accused him of deceiving public officers to acquire state documents.

The State, on February 12, 2022, charged James Gyakye Quayson with five counts; deceit of a public officer, forgery of a passport, knowingly making a false statutory declaration, perjury, and false declaration.

Below are details of the charges against Quayson in the criminal suit:

1. Deceit of public officer, contrary to section 251(b) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29)

James Gyakye Quayson on or about the 29th of July 2019 at the Passport Office, Accra with intent to facilitate the obtaining of a Ghanaian passport, deceived the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by making a false statement that you do not have a dual citizenship, a statement which you did not have a good reason to believe to be true at the time of making it.

2. Forgery of passport or travel certificate, contrary to section 15(1)(b) of the Passports and Travel Certificates Act, 1967 (NLCD 155).

James Gyakye Quayson on or about the 26th of July 2019 at the Passport Office, Accra, made a false statement that you do not have a dual citizenship for the purpose of procuring a passport, a statement you knew to be untrue at the time of making it.

3. Knowingly making a false statutory declaration, contrary to section 5 of the Statutory Declarations Act, 1971 (Act 389).

James Gyakye Quayson on or about 6th October 2020 at Assin Fosu made a statutory declaration that you do not owe allegiance to any country other than Ghana, a statement which you knew to be false in a material particular at the time of making it.

4. Perjury, contrary to section 210(1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).

James Gyakye Quayson on or about 6th October 2020 at Assin Fosu, made a false statement on oath that you do not owe allegiance to any country other than Ghana, a statement you did not have a reason to believe to be true at the time of making it.

5. False declaration for office, contrary to section 248 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).

James Gyakye Quayson on or about 8th October 2020 at the Electoral Commission Office, Accra, knowingly used a declaration that you do not owe allegiance to any country other than Ghana for the purpose of obtaining a public office as a Member of Parliament, a statement you knew to be material for obtaining that office.