Member of Parliament for Assin North Constituency, James Gyakye Quayson, has stated that he is not afraid to end up in jail if found guilty with regards to the ongoing criminal case against him.
He clarified that although he has been charged with perjury and forgery, he is confident in Ghana’s criminal justice system.
“No, why should I? I believe in the justice system, I’m sure. All I know is that the fundamental issue about any judicial matter is – did that person intend to commit the crime? Did he plan it, I have not planned anything of such,” he said.
Speaking in an interview on Accra-based Citi TV on Tuesday, August 22, Mr Quayson expressed his belief that he will be exonerated from all accusations.
“So I don’t fear going to jail, not at all. ..My strongest conviction is that this is just a matter of time and that when you believe you have done the right thing, you shouldn’t be afraid.”
The Assin North MP emphasised that he obtained his dual citizenship through the Ministry of Interior where he was asked to submit both his Ghanaian and Canadian passports.
He maintained that the dual citizenship allowed him to travel freely between Ghana and Canada without the need for a visa.
“How can a person hold dual citizenship – you know we get dual citizenship through the Ministry of Interior where you have to present your two passports. Your Ghanaian passport and your Canadian passport and then they give you a green certificate.
“So, from 2009 to the time I became solely Ghanaian, I was traveling from Canada to Ghana without a visa. The Ghanaian authorities even recognised me as a dual citizen person so how can that same person be applying or renewing their passport and say I don’t have any other nationality?” Mr Quayson stressed.
To this end, the Assin North MP expressed surprise with regards to the criminal case against him noting that “it doesn’t make sense unless they also don’t check their own records.”
He expressed the hope that the court would give a positive verdict in the case.
“I trust my lawyers, I trust the conscience of the people. If they ask me again to run for Assin North seat, I would,” he said.
Prior to the 2020 parliamentary election, Mr Quayson had initiated moves with an application to renounce his Canadian citizenship but had not received his renunciation certificate at the time of filing with the EC to contest.
Per the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the 1992 Constitution, since Quayson had not received his renunciation certificate, he was still a Canadian citizen at the time he filed with the Electoral Commission to contest the 2020 election, and so he was therefore not qualified.
The 2020 parliamentary election results at Assin North was therefore annulled and the seat was declared vacant.
With his Canadian citizenship renunciation certificate currently in his grip as he received it later in 2020, he was therefore now qualified to contest and so the NDC gave him the nod to re-contest.
He won the by-election massively, and has since been sworn in as the Member of parliament, although his criminal trial is still ongoing.