We're Happy The SC Upheld Decision To Bar Assin North MP From Parliament – Deputy AG

Deputy Attorney General, Diana Asonaba 

The Deputy Attorney General, Diana Asonaba Dapaah, has expressed joy about the Supreme Court (SC) upholding its ruling to bar Assin North MP, James Gyakye Quayson, from parliament.

According to her, the court rightly ruled against the MP (Member of Parliament) because his lawyers failed to make his case, myjoyonline.com reports.

“On the issue of the decision restraining the 1st defendant from holding himself out as an MP, the 1st defendant through his lawyers have failed to clearly surmount the conditions. So we are very happy with it,” she was quoted to have said in an interview after the hearing on Tuesday, June 14.

The court unanimously upheld its April 13 decision that granted an injunction against Assin North Member of Parliament James Gyagye Quayson.

A panel of nine presided over by Justice Jones Dotse unanimously dismissed the application saying that the applicant (MP) did not meet the threshold for the court to exercise its discretion in his favour.

Gyakye Quayson filed an application seeking a review of the restraining orders against him from performing his parliamentary duties by the Supreme Court.

The court, however, adjourned the determination of a substantive matter before it following the death of the father of one of the sitting justices, Justice Gertrude Torkornoo.

A private citizen, Ankomah-Nimfah, in the substantive case, has asked the Supreme Court to make “a true and proper interpretation of Article 94(2)(a) of the 1992 Constitution.”

The petitioner is arguing that Mr Gyakye Quayson, at the time of filing his nomination to contest the Assin North parliamentary seat, was holding dual citizenship, contrary to the dictates of the 1992 Constitution.

The petitioner, therefore, asked the court to declare that the Electoral Commission breached Article 94(2)(a) of the 1992 Constitution when it permitted Quayson to contest in the 2020 elections.

.ghanaweb.com