An Accra High Court has acquitted and discharged James Gyakye Quayson, the Member of Parliament for Assin North, after a three-year legal battle.
The embattled MP, who rejected an offer from the new Attorney General to drop the 2022 case against him, was cleared on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, when the court ruled that the prosecution had failed to present enough evidence.
Justice Mary Ekue Yanzuh presided over the case in the criminal division of the High Court in Accra.
Mr. Quayson, who successfully re-contested and regained his Assin North seat after being expelled from Parliament in 2023, had been facing multiple charges, including deceit of a public officer, forgery of passport or travel certificates, making a false declaration, perjury, and false declaration for office.
His removal from Parliament followed a Supreme Court ruling that determined he was ineligible to contest the 2020 general election due to not renouncing his Canadian citizenship at the time of filing his nomination — a requirement under the Ghanaian constitution.
Had the prosecution established a prima facie case, Mr. Quayson would have been required to open his defense.
This case was part of a wider legal challenge questioning Mr. Quayson’s eligibility, which stemmed from his dual citizenship status at the time of his election bid.
