By Seli Baisie
An Accra High Court has acquitted and discharged James Gyakye Quayson, Member of Parliament for Assin North, following a three-year legal battle.
The embattled MP, who declined an offer by the new Attorney General to discontinue the 2022 case against him, walked free on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, after the court ruled that the prosecution failed to provide sufficient evidence.
The case was heard by Justice Mary Ekue Yanzuh, sitting in the criminal division of the High Court in Accra.
Mr Quayson, who re-contested and won the Assin North seat after his name was expunged from Parliament in 2023, had been facing charges of deceit of a public officer, forgery of passport or travel certificates, knowingly making a false declaration, perjury, and false declaration for office.
His removal from Parliament followed a Supreme Court ruling which held that he was not qualified to contest the 2020 general election because he had not renounced his Canadian citizenship at the time of filing his nomination — a requirement under the Ghanaian constitution.
The MP would have been required to open his defence had the prosecution established a prima facie case.
This case formed part of the broader legal challenge against Mr Quayson’s eligibility, which stemmed from his dual citizenship status at the time of contesting the election.
