James Quayson's Case Hasn't Reached The Line Of Criminality --Lawyer Steven Awuyah Schools NPP Gurus

A leading member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) from the Kpone Katamanso Constituency in the Greater Accra Region,  Lawyer Steven Awuyah, popularly known as Villageboy, has schooled the members and supporters of the ruling  New Patriotic Party (NPP) and others on the legal basis of their case against the parliamentary candidate of the NDC for Assin North by-election, Mr James Quayson.

In the news item by Villageboy which was captured by Soireenews.com, he stressed that James Quayson's case is more an administrative law issue.

Mr. Awuyah said that it is the duty of the Electoral Commission of Ghana to unravel the application of prospective candidates and give clearance and notice to the public of the said candidature. 

"To overcome that scrutiny of that authority, including citizenship documentation, criminal and health records, fees, and moving on to campaign to win a free and fair election, that candidate cannot be said to have fleeced an empowered Electoral Commission on matters frowning on our electoral laws by holding allegiance to another state. 

"If he did, then the empowered commission can be said to be wholly inefficient and ineffectual, and their inefficiency, inviting the supreme court to review, direct and revisit its posture, backed by Government's hand: the AG," he explained.

He explained that issue of allegiance is simple, adding that "The mens rea of James Quayson cannot be overlooked. 

Mr. Awuyah maintained that "A mens rea​ refers to the state of mind statutorily required in order to convict a particular defendant of a particular crime. To Quayson, he had renounced his Canadian citizenship."

Indeed,  Mr. Awuyah asserted that the very prolonged thought of renouncing  citizenship of a particular state, coupled with calculated steps to renounce,  is enough to diffuse allegiance to the former country of citizenship. 

"Because such a thought is not easy to arrive at. And he who has done so, forfeiting all privilleges of the former,  to come and serve a state of his natural birth, senior to that of his acquired naturalization, should not be burdened by suits of the state,  with an agenda to cage him, as though he was a bird, willing to fly to his former state of allegiance.

According to him, the state must uphold and enforce its laws. 

"But it is limited in scope and resources and therefore, must be seen to pick and choose cases that are injurious to the state and to serve as a deterrent based on prosecutorial discretion.

"James Quayson's case appears to be calculation to tilt the balance of power in the halls of lawmaking. 

"These, the citizens of Ghana, and the people of Assin North, find to be abominable, unGhanaian, and causing moral revulsion," he concluded.