Assin North MP charged with 'perjury, forgery, false declaration'

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin North, Mr James Gyakye Quayson, on Thursday, 3 February 2022, was slapped with 5 new charges by the state.

The Director of Public Prosecutions, Yvonne Atakora Obuobisa, filed the charges on behalf of the state against the Assin North MP at the High Court in Accra.

The MP has been charged with “deceit of public officer” in contravention of section 251(b) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).

According to the Attorney General, the MP, “on or about the 29th of July 2019 at the Passport Office, Accra, with intent to facilitate the obtaining of a Ghanaian passport, deceived the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by making a false statement that he did not have a dual citizenship, a statement which he did not have a good reason to believe to be true at the time of making it.”

The MP has been charged with “forgery of passport or travel certificate” in contravention of section 15(1) (b) of the Passports and Travel Certificates Act, 1967 (NLCD 155).

The State asserts that the Assin North MP, on or about 26 July 2019, at the Passport Office, in Accra, made a false statement that he did not have dual citizenship for the purpose of procuring a passport.

A statement, he knew to be untrue at the time of making it, the AG’s office asserts.

Mr Quayson has also been charged with “knowingly making a false statutory declaration,” in contravention of section 5 of the Statutory Declarations Act, 1971 (Act 389).”

The AG explained that the MP, at Assin Fosu, on or about 6 October 2020, made a statutory declaration indicating that he owed no country allegiance except Ghana, a statement which the MP knew was false in a material particularly at the time of making it.

Additionally, the MP has been charged with “perjury”, in contravention of section 210(1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29) and “false declaration for office”, in contravention of section 248 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).

The state prosecutors told the court that they have been unable to serve the MP and prayed the court to adjourn the sitting to enable them to do so.

The court adjourned to Wednesday, 9 February 2022.

The MP’s seat was declared vacant by the Cape Coast High Court.

The MP has challenged the court’s declaration at the apex court, emphasising that he is still the MP for the area.