OKORIE ALIAS OZUZU AND ANOTHER vs. THE REPUBLIC [1974]DLCA2303

Date	1974-08-02
Suit No.
Citation No.	[1974]DLCA2303

AZU CRABBE C.J.

LASSEY JA

HAYFRON-BENJAMIN J.A.

FRIMPONG BOADU FOR THE FIRST APPELLANT.

ALHAJI B. KWAW-SWANZY FOR THE SECOND APPELLANT.

S. E. ASAMOAH SENIOR STATE ATTORNEY FOR THE REPUBLIC.

[1974]DLCA2303
																																						<div class="restriction-wrapper">
														<div class="container-lg">
															<div class="row">
																<div class="col-md-12 restricted-content">
																	<div class="restricted-content-img-wrapper">
																		<div class="lock-icon bounce-7">
																			<img class=""
																				src="https://www.dennislawgh.com/dl-assets/dl-images/lock-content.png"
																				alt="Subscription based content">
																		</div>
																	</div>
																	 
																		<a href="https://www.dennislawgh.com/login"
																		class="btn btn-primary btn-lg"
																		style="font-family: 'open sans'; text-transform: capitalize; border-radius: 8px"> 
																		Login to Read Full Case </a>
																	 
																	
																</div>
															</div>
														</div>
													</div>
													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#548DD4">OKORIE ALIAS OZUZU AND ANOTHER <o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#548DD4">vs. <o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#548DD4">THE REPUBLIC <o:p></o:p>[COURT OF APPEAL, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p>[1974] 2 GLR 272<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid black 1.5pt;
padding:31.0pt 31.0pt 1.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">

DATE:<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B0F0"> 2 AUGUST 1974.<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid black 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 0in 0in">

<a name="_gjdgxs"></a>FRIMPONG BOADU FOR THE FIRST APPELLANT.<o:p></o:p>

ALHAJI
B. KWAW-SWANZY FOR THE SECOND APPELLANT.<o:p></o:p>

S.
E. ASAMOAH, SENIOR STATE ATTORNEY, FOR THE REPUBLIC.<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM: <o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid black 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 0in 0in">

AZU CRABBE C.J., LASSEY AND HAYFRON-BENJAMIN
JJ.A.<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>JUDGMENT OF AZU CRABBE C. J.<o:p></o:p>Crabbe
C.J. delivered the judgment of the court. The appellants were convicted before
Okai J. at the criminal session of the High Court of Justice, Kumasi, Ashanti
Region, on 4 August 1972, for the murder of John Kwame Appiah, and were
sentenced to death.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The case
for the prosecution was based essentially on circumstantial evidence, and, with
regard to the second appellant, the prosecution also relied on the confessional
statements (exhibits A and K) made by the second appellant during the police
investigations.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>In the
opinion of this court, the circumstantial evidence was sufficiently cogent to
justify the conviction of the appellants, and but for the very important
constitutional issue raised in ground (i) of the additional grounds of appeal,
filed on behalf of the second appellant, this court would have no difficulty
whatsoever in dismissing the appeal, because it found no merit in the arguments
advanced by counsel in support of the other grounds of appeal.<o:p></o:p>Ground
(1) is stated as follows:<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">“(a) The
learned trial judge erred in law when he held that exhibits A and K, statements
made by the appellant herein and dated respectively 26 October 1969 and 1
November 1969, were admissible. <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(b) The
exhibits A and K ought to have been excluded on the ground that they were made
in breach of the appellant’s constitutional right conferred on him by article
15 (2) of the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana, 1969.”<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The
provisions of article 15 (2) of the Constitution read as follows:<o:p></o:p>“Any
person who is arrested, restricted or detained shall be informed immediately,
in a language that he understands, of the reasons for his arrest, restriction
or detention and of his right to consult Counsel of his own choice.”<o:p></o:p>Arguing
this ground of appeal, Mr. Kwaw-Swanzy, counsel for the second appellant,
submitted that any statement taken from a person in custody in contravention of
article 15 (2) was inadmissible, and he argued that having regard to the fact
that the second appellant was not informed of his right to consult counsel of
his choice, the two investigatory statements taken from him were inadmissible.
And in support of this contention, counsel cited the following American cases:
White v. Maryland 373 U.S. 59 (1962), Massiah v. United States 377 U.S. 201
(1963), Escobedo v. Illinois 378 U.S. 478 (1963), Miranda v. Arizona 384 U.S.
436 (1965) and Gilbert v. California 388 U.S. 263 (1966).<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>