By Beatrice Oppon
The Accra High Court has dismissed an application by the injuncted MP for Assin North, James Gyakye Quayson urging it to strike out three of the five criminal charges against him.
The Court presided by Justice Mary Yanzuh held that the application lacked merit and accordingly dismissed it.
Mr Quayson, has been charged with criminal offences for his alleged dual nationality when he contested the 2020 Parliamentary elections.
He is facing five counts of deceit of a Public Officer, forgery of passport or travel certificate, knowingly making a false statutory declaration, perjury and false declaration for office.
He was contending that counts 3, 4, and 5 are tied with Article 94(2)(a) of the Constitution and therefore required interpretation by the Supreme Court. It is the case of the state that Mr Quayson allegedly made a false statement to the Passport Office that he did not hold a passport of another country when he applied for a Ghanaian Passport.
The embattled MP has also been accused of making a false declaration to the Electoral Commission that he did not owe allegiance to any foreign country at the time he filed to contest as a Parliamentary Candidate.
The criminal proceedings were initiated after one Richard Takyi-Mensah petitioned the Police over the actions of Mr Quayson.
The case has been adjourned to July 12, 2022 to kick start the trial and the State is expected to call its first witness on that day.
