The High Court in Accra yesterday gave James Gyakye Quayson the green light to focus on his campaign as the court set Friday, June 23, to rule on a motion to review daily hearing of the forgery and perjury case against him.
The court, presided over by Justice Maame Ekue Yanzuh, said Mr Quayson who was the former Member of Parliament for Assin North Constituency, could chose to absent himself from court on Friday.
This was after Mr Tsatsu Tsikata argued that his client needed time to campaign for the by-election slated for Tuesday, June 27.
Mr Tsikata reminded the court that Mr Quayson was on a national assignment, given that he presented himself to contest the by-election.
The Attorney-General and Minister of Justice (A-G), Mr Godfred Yeboah Dame, said it would be discriminatory, if the court granted the motion to vary an earlier order for trial to be conducted from June 21, 22 and 23.
Mr Dame argued that all kinds of people including teachers were brought to court for criminal charges, thus, a teacher could not be absent from a criminal proceeding just because they had to teach.
The Supreme Court had declared the election of Mr Quayson as unconstitutional, null and void and ordered a fresh election to be conducted by the Electoral Commission.
The criminal trial started thereafter.
Lawyers for the accused got an adjournment to a later date after the by-election.
However on June 16, the court upheld an argument by the Attorney-General to conduct trial of the case on daily basis starting from June 20.
The facts according to Mr Yeboah are that, the accused on July 26, 2019, signed an application form for a Republic of Ghana passport in which accused indicated that he was a Ghanaian and does not have a dual nationality.
Mr Yeboah said that Mr Quayson, at the time, held a Canadian citizenship issued on October 30, 2016, but failed to declare same on the application form.
The Deputy A-G said based on alleged false information together with the other information provided by the accused on the passport application form, he was issued with a Ghanaian passport, number G2538667 on August 2, 2019.
Mr Quayson is currently on GH¢100, 000 bail with one surety for alleged forgery, perjury and knowingly making false declaration.
BY MALIK SULLEMANA