Court of Appeal dismisses Gyakye Quayson’s application to halt High Court proceedings

The Court of Appeal has unanimously rejected an application made by James Gyakye Quayson, the Assin North Member of Parliament, to stay proceedings at the High Court.

The application sought to halt Mr. Quayson's trial on a daily basis, but the Court of Appeal ruled against it.

Quayson's lawyers had previously filed a similar application at the High Court on June 11, 2023, which was also dismissed.

However, at the Court of Appeal on Wednesday, July 19, Quayson's lawyer, Tsatsu Tsikata, argued that the proceedings at the High Court had been tainted by events affecting the fair trial of the case.

Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame opposed the application, referring to it as unmeritorious. He argued that the alleged prejudicial comments did not influence the High Court's decision, as they were made after the court's ruling.

Dame accused Gyakye Quayson of using the application to evade trial and suggested that it was a strategy to avoid facing charges.

The three-member panel at the Court of Appeal ultimately dismissed the application, stating that no exceptional circumstances were presented to warrant a stay of proceedings.

The court also clarified that the alleged prejudicial comments were extra-judicial and had no impact on the trial judge's decision. They affirmed that the decision to conduct the trial on a day-to-day basis did not violate Gyakye Quayson's right to a fair trial.

Earlier, Mr. Quayson's lawyers had moved an application at the High Court to stay proceedings, aiming to allow the Court of Appeal to review the trial judge's decision for daily hearings.

However, the plea was rejected, leading the MP to appeal to the Court of Appeal, which also ruled against his request.

James Gyakye Quayson is facing charges of forgery and perjury in a trial at the High Court in Accra.