STATE vs. OTCHERE AND OTHERS [1963]DLHC17186

Date	1963-12-09
Suit No.	[1963] 2 GLR 463-531
Citation No.	[1963]DLHC17186

HIS LORDSHIP JUSTICE KORSAH C. J.

KWAW SWANZY

ABOAGYE DA COSTA

OWUSU YAW

KOI LARBI

HAROLD DARKO

B. J. DA ROCHA

<p class="mb-5" id="contentDlCitation"  hidden>[1963]DLHC17186</p>
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:-2.5pt;
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line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;color:#00B0F0">STATE<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:-2.5pt;
margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:4.5pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:center;
line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;color:#00B0F0">vs.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:-2.5pt;
margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:4.5pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:center;
line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;color:#00B0F0">OTCHERE AND OTHERS<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:-2.5pt;
margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:4.5pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:center;
line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;">&nbsp;[HIGH COURT (SPECIAL CRIMINAL DIVISION),
ACCRA]<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:-2.5pt;
margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:4.5pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:center;
line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;">&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:-2.5pt;margin-bottom:
0cm;margin-left:4.5pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;line-height:
normal;mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:168.75pt 278.15pt;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: black; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt; margin-left: 4.5pt; margin-right: -2.5pt;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;text-autospace:none;border:none;
mso-border-bottom-alt:solid black 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><a name="_heading=h.gjdgxs"></a><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;">[1963] 2 GLR 463-531&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;DATE:9<sup>TH</sup>
DECEMBER, 1963<o:p></o:p></span></p>

</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:-2.5pt;margin-bottom:
0cm;margin-left:4.5pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;line-height:
normal;mso-pagination:none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;">CORAM<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:-2.5pt;margin-bottom:
0cm;margin-left:4.5pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;line-height:
normal;mso-pagination:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;">HIS LORDSHIP JUSTICE KORSAH C. J.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="border-top-width: 1.5pt; border-top-color: black; border-left: none; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: black; border-right: none; padding: 1pt 0cm; margin-left: 4.5pt; margin-right: -2.5pt;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
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border:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid black 1.5pt;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid black 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif">Korsah C. J. delivered the judgment of the court. The
accused persons Robert Benjamin Otchere, Joseph Yaw Manu, Tawia Adamafio, Ako
Adjei and Hugh Horatio Crabbe are charged with the following offences,
namely—(1) conspiracy to commit treason, contrary to sections 23 (1) and 180
(1) of the Criminal Code, 19601; and (2) treason, contrary to section 180 (3),
and the second accused Joseph Yaw Manu alone is charged on a third count with
misprision of treason, contrary to section 181 of the Criminal Code, 1960.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif">&nbsp;Particulars of the offence of conspiracy to commit
treason charged are that the five persons during the years 1961 and 1962 at
Accra in the Republic of Ghana, at Lomé in the Republic of Togo and Abidjan in
the Republic of the Ivory Coast did agree together and with Kofi Abrefa Busia,
Komla Agbeli Gbedemah, Oheneba Kow Richardson, Adam Amandi, Emmanuel Obetsebi
Lamptey (now deceased), Ashie Nikoi (now deceased), Edward Lartey Tetteh (now
deceased) and others, to commit a crime, namely, treason; the particulars of
the offence of treason charged are that the five accused persons, during the
months of July and August 1962, at Kulungugu in the Upper Region and at other
places in the Republic of Ghana, did endeavour to overthrow the Government of
Ghana by unlawful means; and the particulars of the offence of misprision of
treason charged are that the second accused person, Joseph Yaw Manu, during the
months of April to November 1962 at Accra and Kumasi in the Republic of Ghana,
knowing of a treason, namely, an endeavour by R. B. Otchere, (the first accused
person), Tawia Adamafio (the third accused person), Ako Adjei (the fourth
accused person), Hugh Horatio Cofie Crabbe (the fifth accused person), Kofi
Abrefa Busia, Komla Agbeli Gbedemah, Oheneba Kow Richardson, Adam Amandi,
Emmanuel Obetsebi Lamptey (now deceased), Ashie Nikoi (now deceased) and
others, to overthrow the Government of Ghana by unlawful means, did not
forthwith reveal it to the President, a Minister or a police officer. The
accused persons pleaded not guilty to all the charges.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
&quot;Book An</main>