By Morkporkpor Anku, GNA
Accra, July 18, GNA –An Accra High court on Tuesday dismissed an application by Gyakye Quayson, the embattled re-elected member of Parliament for Assin North to stay the trial pending the hearing of an applications at the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.
The court held that the application at the Court of appeal cannot be basis on halting the trial which has been scheduled to be heard daily by the court.
The court, after dismissing the application, called upon the prosecution witness to be cross examined by lawyers for the Quayson.
Mr Richard Takyi-Mensah, the first prosecution witness who had finished his evidence in chief was therefore cross examined by lawyers of Quayson who in answering a question by lawyer Tastsu Tsikata said that the Electoral Commission allowed the accused to stand for the elections
The witness said per what he read, the EC invited the complainant and accused into a meeting and perhaps based on that the accused was allowed to stand.
It would be recalled that in 2020 a group calling themselves Concerned Citizens of Assin North had petitioned the Electoral Commission about Quayshon’s eligibility and questioned the EC on it.
The witness said if his memory serves him right, he read the report on the internet and as stated earlier, some of the processes filed in the civil case were served on the petitioner through him, hence he read and saw the documents.
Mr Tsikata suggested to the witness that his statement was given in Twi, which was translated to English Language, but the witness disagreed saying, he narrated everything to the Police in English Language.
Asked, whether if anybody said he did not attach that statutory declaration to the documents he mentioned earlier, would they be telling the truth, the witness said he did attach all the documents he filed.
“It can happen that mistakenly I did not add all the other documents,”
The accused had earlier, through his lawyers, attempted to halt proceedings following a motion filed by him to halt the trial pending an application filed at the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.
The Court presided over by Justice Mary Maame Ekue Yanzuh told the parties that there was no order from the Supreme Court restraining the court from continuing with the trial.
The Court said the hearing would proceed and therefore called the first witness for further cross-examination.
Following the refusal of their motion for Stay of Proceedings pending appeal on Tuesday, July 11, 2023, Mr Tsikata told the Court that he had repeated the motion at the Court of Appeal scheduled for July 19.
The Court therefore adjourned the trial to Wednesday July 19, 2023, for continuation of the cross-examination by the accused.
The Supreme Court nullified Quayson’s election as the Member of Parliament for Assin North because as at the time of filing his nomination for the elections in 2020, he was a Canadian citizen which is against the law in 2020.
He has since been charged with perjury and deceiving a public officer at the High Court.
