Assin North By-election: No Law Prevents Gyakye Quayson From Contesting Seat - Kwesi Pratt Asserts

Seasoned Journalist, Kwesi Pratt Jnr. says the deposed Member of Parliament for Assin North, James Gyakye Quayson, is absolutely qualified to contest the seat again.

He said this on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" show Friday morning in contrast with arguments that Mr. Gyakye Quayson should abstain from the by-election, particularly due to reason that he has been cited for criminal offence in a law suit by the Attorney General.

The Attorney General, Godfred Dame, is said to have filed criminal charges including perjury against the former MP, accusing him of deceiving the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by making a false statement that he did not have dual citizenship to acquire a Ghanaian passport among other things.

In Ghana, second-degree felonies are punishable by ten years imprisonment which means Mr. Gyakye Quayson could be slapped with a ten-year jail sentence if found guilty.

In view of this, there are claims that the embattled MP may still be disqualified to re-contest the Assin North parliamentary seat until his case is completely dealt with.

Mr. Pratt explains that the Supreme Court ruling nullified Mr. Gyakye Quayson's election as Assin North MP but there is nowhere in the law that prevents him from standing for re-election.

"There was no time that the court said Gyakye Quayson is not qualified to contest. So, as we currently sit here, he is qualified to contest. No law in Ghana prevents him from contesting; he is qualified to contest," he argued.

To him, whether or not Mr. Gyakye Quayson will face a sentence in the criminal case against him is a secondary matter, thus having no correlation with him contesting the Assin North by-election.

"Some people say that he may be sent back to court and when he is arraigned before court, he may be jailed or fined but that is future matters," he told host Nana Yaw Kesseh.

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana