“Murders are not told to come to court every day so why Quayson” – Mahama on criminal case

“They can get him a mat at the court for him to sleep there. Even if he is not present on the day of the by-election, he will still win,” Mahama has said.

Former President John Dramani Mahama has criticized the High Court’s decision to require daily hearings in the criminal case against James Gyakye Quayson, the former Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin North.

The former president claims that the court’s decision is ludicrous because even murderers do not go through the legal system so quickly.

On June 18, 2023, Mahama said these things during a community durbar in Sienkyem, Assin North. He later said that not even Nana Appiah Mensah (NAM1), the former head of MenzGold who is accused of defrauding Ghanaians, gets prosecuted at this speed.

“Because of the hatred for him (Gyakye Quayson), they have also taken him to court and they are saying that they are going to jail him.

“Now the court is saying that he should come to court every day. Not even criminals who have committed murder are treated this way. Murders are not told to come to court every day for their case to be heard.

“NAM1’s case has been in court for almost 3 three years. This case is not even heard on a daily basis. What has Gyakye done to you? Has he killed someone? Has he stolen someone’s money?” he asked in Twi.

The former president added that even if Quayson is detained by the court, he will still win the by-election which would be held on June 27, 2023.

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: Ghanatodayonline.com