Court of Appeal unanimously dismisses Quayson's stay of proceedings application

In a unanimous decision, the Court of Appeal has dismissed the application filed by James Gyakye Quayson; the Assin North Member of Parliament, to stay proceedings at the High Court.

This recent application came after a similar one was already rejected by the High Court on June 11, 2023.

The purpose of the stay of proceedings application was to halt Mr. Quayson's trial on a daily basis at the High Court.

During the Court of Appeal hearing on Wednesday, July 19, according to Citinewsroom report, Quayson's lawyer; Tsatsu Tsikata, argued that the proceedings at the lower court had been tainted by events that could potentially impact the fair trial of the case.

However, Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame opposed the application, deeming it unmeritorious.

He asserted that the alleged prejudicial comments made by the president and other ministers had no effect on the High Court's decision since they were made after the court's ruling.

He further accused Quayson of attempting to use the application as a tactic to avoid trial, citing the allegations of a predetermined agenda to imprison the accused by his lawyers.

Dame urged the court to dismiss the application, as no exceptional circumstances had been proven to warrant a stay of proceedings.

The three-member panel of judges, after careful consideration, ultimately dismissed the application.



They ruled that no exceptional circumstances were presented to justify a stay of proceedings.

Additionally, they stated that the alleged prejudicial comments were extra-judicial and had no impact on the trial judge's decision.

Furthermore, the judges emphasized that the decision to conduct the trial on a daily basis did not infringe upon Gyakye Quayson's right to a fair trial.

It's worth noting that last week, the embattled Member of Parliament's legal team moved an application for the High Court to stay proceedings, allowing the Court of Appeal to review the trial judge's decision to conduct the case daily.

However, this plea was also rejected.

Mr. Quayson's attempt to have the High Court's ruling overturned at the Court of Appeal has not succeeded, leaving the daily trial to continue at the High Court in Accra on charges of forgery and perjury.

Meanwhile, the minority are boycotting parliamentary business on days James Gyakye Quayson has a case.

YNA/WA