Gyakye Quayson’s case is urgent, but NAM1’s is not? – Lawyer Martin Kpebu Slams

The High Court’s decision to hold daily hearings in the criminal case against James Gyakye Quayson, the former Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin North, has drawn criticism from renowned attorney Martin Kpebu.

On Monday, June 18, 2023, in an interview with TV3, which GhanaWeb watched, Martin Kpebu expressed his inability to understand the justification for the court’s decision.

He found it amusing that the court views the Gyakye Quayson trial as urgent but has allowed Nana Appiah Mensah (NAM1)’s case, involving the former MenzGold CEO and having an impact on millions of Ghanaians, to drag on for more than three years.
“It struck me when they announced that NAM1’s case had been postponed for 35 times whereas Gyakye Quayson’s trial would be heard every day. It merely encapsulated everything.

“NAM1 is not urgent because its situation has affected millions of our compatriots and has brought about so much suffering, illness, etc. for individuals. The Gyakye Quayson case is the one that requires immediate attention.

James Gyakye Quayson’s ongoing criminal prosecution will begin hearings every day on Tuesday, June 20, 2023, according to a decision made by the High Court in Accra on Friday, June 18, 2023.

This came about after Justice Mary Maame Ekue Yanzuh, the sitting judge, denied a request to postpone the trial until after the by-election.

The trial will proceed on June 20, 21, and 23, according to a date set by the court.

Quayson was recently removed from office as a result of a Supreme Court of Ghana decision declaring him ineligible to run in the 2020 parliamentary elections due to his tardy renunciation of his Canadian citizenship.

The Office of the Attorney General accused the former MP of manipulating public officials in order to get state documents, but there is still one case that the former MP must appear in court for.

James Gyakye Quayson was accused by the State on February 12, 2022, with five offenses: producing a false statutory declaration, perjury, misleading a public official, and forging a passport.

Source: Mynewsghana.com