By Edzorna Francis Mensah
The Minority in Parliament has planned to reciprocate its response to the government’s escalation of the ongoing trial of the Member of Parliament for Assin North Constituency, James Gyakye Quayson.
The NDC MPs have communicated their upcoming decision following a request by the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, that James Gyakye Quayson be tried daily, “despite an application for stay of proceedings and a pending application before the Court of Appeal against the daily trial”, the High Court has ruled that it will continue to hear the case daily.
In a press release issued in a car as signed by the Minority Chief Whip, Kwame Agbodza started that, “If the Member of Parliament must appear in court every week day for trial, what time will he have to attend to Parliamentary business to represent the people of Assin North?”
According to the statement, “We are therefore, at this point, including all options available to us to defend and protect our colleague.”
Below is the full statement:
PRESS RELEASE
MINORITY IN PARLIAMENT RECIPROCATES RESPONSE TO GOVERNMENT’S ESCALATION OF JAMES GYAKYE QUAYSON’S PERSECUTION.
The Minority in Parliament has decided to reciprocate its response to the government’s escalation of the ongoing persecution of the Member of Parliament for Assin North Constituency, Hon. James Gyakye Quayson.
Following a request by the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Mr. Godfred Yeboah Dame, that Hon. James Gyakye Quayson be tried daily, despite an application for a stay of proceedings and a pending application before the Court of Appeal against the daily trial, the High Court has ruled that it will continue to hear the case daily.
In essence, the rulings by the High Court put Hon. James Gyakye Quayson in the same position that he was placed in by the Supreme Court before the Assin North Constituency by-election.
If the Member of Parliament must appear in court every weekday for trial, what time will he have to attend to Parliamentary business to represent the people of Assin North? We are, therefore, at this point, including all options available to us to defend and protect our colleagues.
Hon. James Gyakye Quayson is the only person to have been elected twice within a Parliamentary term. He first won the 2020 Parliamentary election in Assin North Constituency, which was declared null and void by the Supreme Court after two and a half years. This triggered a by-election which he won again by an overwhelming 57.56% on 27th June 2023.
***END***
HON. KWAME GOVERNS AGBODZA, MP
MINORITY CHIEF WHIP
WEDNESDAY, 19TH JULY, 2023
ACCRA