Court dismisses Quayson’s motion to vary trial

An Accra High Court has dismissed a motion seeking to vary its decision to hear the trial of Mr James Gyakye Quayson, a former MP for Assin North, on day-to-day basis.

The Court presided over by Justice Mary Maame Ekue Yanzuh ruled that the discretion to adjourn a trial was the sole decision of the Court and not the parties involved in the case.
The Court said those days agreed upon initially for the day-to-day trial had been exhausted.

The Judge said the discretion to grant adjournment was under the rules of court and it was vested in the hands of the court.

She said the mere refusal did not constitute denial of the accused person’s rights and “I do not see any relevance to vary the orders made on June 16, 2023”.

She said it was in the interest of all parties that trial was not delayed, hence, the application dismissed.

The Court on Friday June 18, 2023, ruled that the ongoing criminal trial of the former MP would be heard daily starting from Tuesday, June 20, 2023.

This was after the Court turned down a prayer by Quayson’s lawyer, which sought to have the trial continued after the Assin North by-election scheduled for June 27, 2023.

Justice Yanzuh said the Court was also unavailable to sit on Mondays and coupled with the fact that the by-election would take place on June 27, and June 28 being Eid-ul-Adha celebration, the next available date would be June 29,2023.

The Court said sitting would then be adjourned to July 4, 2023, and from that time, Mr Quayson would appear in Court on daily basis.

Earlier, on June 21, the Court permitted Mr Quayson to absent himself from Court sitting on Friday June 23, 2023.

The Supreme Court nullified Quayson’s election as the Member of Parliament for Assin North for holding a Canadian citizenship alongside being a Ghanaian at the time of filing nomination to contest the election in 2020.

The deposed MP now faces charges of perjury and deceiving a public officer.