The Attorney General(AG) and Minister for Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, has criticised Dormaaahene’s comments on the criminal case against James Gyakye Quayson, the Member of Parliament-elect for Assin North.
Oseadeeyo Agyeman Badu II, a justice of the High Court, appealed to President Akufo-Addo and the AG to discontinue the trial and file a nolle prosequi to end the issue.
He made the appeal during the John Evans Atta Mills 10th Anniversary Commemorative lecture held in Sunyani on July 1.
Mr Quayson is currently facing trial for perjury at the High Court in Accra.
Reacting to the appeal, Mr Dame described the comments as having the potential to negatively affect the administration of justice in the ongoing case because judges are not permitted to make public statements on legal matters.
He went on to say that any remarks undermining the administration of justice are harmful and should not be tolerated.
“I will come out with a proper statement on the matter and in respect of all comments that generally have the tendency to subvert the administration of justice. I think that it is unhealthy for our democratic institutions, and we should not countenance it,” Mr Dame said.
Gyakye Quayson is facing charges of forgery and perjury in relation to certain alleged offences in the run-up to the 2020 Assin North parliamentary election.
He has pleaded not guilty to five counts of forgery of passport or travel certificate, knowingly making a false statutory declaration, perjury and false declaration for office.
It is the case of the prosecution that Mr Quayson allegedly made a false statement to the Passport Office that he did not hold a passport to another country when he applied for a Ghanaian Passport.
In addition, the prosecution had accused Mr Quayson of making a false declaration to the Electoral Commission (EC) to the effect that he (Quayson) did not owe any allegiance to a foreign country when he filed to contest as a candidate for the Assin North seat in 2020.