Criminal summons against ‘fleeing’ Assin-North MP

Criminal summons against ‘fleeing’ Assin-North MP

The Criminal Court 3 Division of High Court has issued criminal summons to be served on the embattled Assin-North Member of Parliament, James Gyakye Quayson, in addition to other ongoing trials on the validity or otherwise of his election as MP for his constituency in the December 2020 polls.

The Attorney General has brought charges of deceit of public officer, forgery of passport or travel certificates, knowingly making a false statutory declaration, perjury and false declaration for office against the MP.

Earlier attempts by court officials to serve on Mr. Quayson with the necessary court processes had been unsuccessful.

A bailiff of the High Court had told the court on Tuesday that, upon arrival at Mr. Quayson’s Accra residence, he was informed that the legislator was not around. He had suspected that the lawmaker was indoors, but was only evading service.

Criminal summons

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Yvonne Atakorah Oboubisa, prayed the court to serve a criminal summon on Mr. Quayson to urge him to respond to the court.

She informed the court that notice of service had been posted on Mr. Quayson’s residence when the bailiff could not gain direct access to him to serve him.

She prayed that criminal summons should be issued for posting at a conspicuous part of his house, as per Section 65 of Act 30.

The DPP told the court that multiple efforts to serve the MP with court processes, both at his residence in Accra and in his constituency, had proved futile.

“Respectfully, with the attempts made to effect service and the fact that at every time, the police or bailiffs are told the accused person has gone out, a bench warrant should be issued for his arrest to compel him to appear before the court for trial,” she prayed the court.

The Court made the orders and adjourned to February 15, 2022.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Tuesday, February 8, 2022, directed its Registrar, Matthew Antiaye, to submit a detailed report on an alleged assault and manhandling of a bailiff by a bodyguard of James Gyakye Quayson.

The 7-member court, composed of Justices Jones Dotse, as President, Nene Amegatcher, Gertrude Torkonor, Yoni Kulendi, Agnes Dordzi, Mariama Owusu, and Prof. Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu, was told in open court about how the embattled MP allegedly instructed his bodyguard to throw out the bailiff who had gone to serve him with court processes.

The bailiff, Joshua Baming, in an affidavit, said he arrived at Mr. Quayson’s office at ‘Job 600’, Parliament House, where he introduced himself and declared his reason for the visit.

Mr. Quayson, however, allegedly refused to entertain him, and asked his personal assistant to show the bailiff out.