The Member of Parliament for Assin North, James Gyakye Quayson, has taken a significant step in his legal battle by lodging a formal complaint against the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame.
Quayson has submitted a petition to the Disciplinary Committee of the General Legal Council (GLC), alleging instances of professional misconduct on the part of the Attorney General.
In the detailed letter addressed to the GLC, the Assin North MP outlined his concerns, highlighting specific incidents where he believes the actions of the Attorney General violated the rules of professional conduct.
The alleged misconduct relates to the ongoing criminal trial against Quayson at the High Court, Criminal Division 3, Accra.
The core of Quayson’s complaint revolves around an episode during the last adjourned date of the trial on July 19, 2023.
“On 16th June 2023, when my lawyer was seeking to bring to the attention of the court that I was a candidate in the then pending parliamentary bye-election in the Assin North Constituency, the Attorney-General used the following insulting language against me: ‘This is what I describe as a very totally irresponsible step. Beside it, to apply to contest again when he knew that these proceedings were pending for which he can go jail,’” he added.
Quayson asserts that during the cross-examination of the first prosecution witness, Richard Takyi-Mensah, the Attorney General made a statement that contradicted the testimony of his own witness. This, Quayson contends, is a clear breach of legal ethics.
According to Quayson’s letter, “The ‘testimony’ provided by the Attorney-General contradicted the testimony of his own witness and was presented for the first time without any prior notice to my lawyers or myself as to the facts known to the prosecution.”
“At the last adjourned date (19th July 2023), during the cross-examination of the first prosecution witness, Richard Takyi-Mensah, after the witness had testified confirming that he had given a statement to the police to which he attached certain documents, which testimony is also reflected in the police statement itself, the Attorney-General, responding to an application by my counsel for disclosure of the attachments the witness referred to, stated that there were no attachments to the court which, I am advised and believe to be true, is clearly contrary to the rules of the professional conduct by lawyers in a case,” the letter signed by James Gyakye Quayson said in part.
The embattled MP is thus seeking the intervention of the GLC in addressing these alleged instances of misconduct.
