ABDULAI III AND OTHERS vs. THE REPUBLIC [1989]DLCA15178

Date	1989-01-26
Suit No.	[1989-90] 1 GLR 348-351
Citation No.	[1989]DLCA15178

AMPIAH J.A

LAMPTEY J.A

ESSIEM J.A.

AMUI (WITH HIM KUENYEHIA) FOR APPELLANTS

SAM BADDOO CHIEF STATE ATTORNEY FOR THE REPUBLIC

<p class="mb-5" id="contentDlCitation"  hidden>[1989]DLCA15178</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-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
color:#00B0F0">ABDULAI III AND OTHERS<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
color:#00B0F0">vs.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
color:#00B0F0">THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif">&nbsp;[COURT OF APPEAL,
ACCRA]<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif">[1989-90] 1 GLR 348-351<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: windowtext; padding: 0in 0in 1pt;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;
mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:
107%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif">&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;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
DATE: 26<sup>TH</sup> JANUARY 1989<o:p></o:p></span></p>

</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:107%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif">CORAM<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif">AMPIAH</span><span lang="en-DE" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;
mso-ansi-language:#2000"> J.A</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:
107%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif">, LAMPTEY</span><span lang="en-DE" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;
mso-ansi-language:#2000"> J.A,</span><span lang="en-DE" style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:107%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif"> </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif">ESSIEM
J.A.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="border-top-width: 1.5pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-left: none; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-right: none; padding: 1pt 0in;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;border:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0in 1.0pt 0in"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:
107%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:13.5pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial">JUDGMENT
OF AMPIAH J.A.</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:13.5pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:13.5pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial">On 22
June 1987 the appellants were convicted on various charges by the Circuit
Court, Tamale and sentenced accordingly.&nbsp; The appellants appealed to the
High Court, Tamale which also affirmed the convictions and dismissed the
appeal.&nbsp; Aggrieved by this judgment, the appellants have once again
appealed to this court.&nbsp; Before the merits of the appeal could be argued,
counsel for the Republic submitted that the appeal was not properly before the
court.&nbsp; He referred the court to section 2 (3) (b) of the Courts
(Amendment) Law, 1987 (P.N.D.C.L. 191), and said in view of the fact that the
appellants had not asked for leave from the court below, they could not be
heard by this court on their appeal.&nbsp; Section 2 (3) (b) of P.N.D.C.L. 191
provides:</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:13.5pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:13.5pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:13.5pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial">"(b)
Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (a) of this subsection, where a
decision of the High Court confirms the decision appealed against from a lower
court, an appeal from the High Court may lie to the Court of Appeal with leave
of the High Court which may on its own motion or on an oral application by the
aggrieved party decide whether or not to grant the leave to appeal, and where
the High Court refuses to grant the leave to appeal the aggrieved party may
apply to the Court of Appeal for such leave."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:13.5pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:13.5pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial">The
judgment of the High Court was given on 13 October 1987.&nbsp; The appellants
then had a right to appeal to the Court of Appeal without leave within 30 days
of the judgment.&nbsp; The notice of appeal was however filed on 10 November
1987.&nbsp; Before that date there had come into existence P.N.D.C.L. 191; this
enactment was made on 26 October 1987.&nbsp; Under these circumstances, the
court drew the attention of counsel to the provisions of the Interpretation
Act, 1960 (C.A. 4), s. 8 (1) (c) which states:</span><span style="font-size:
12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:13.5pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:13.5pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial">&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;
mso-bid</main>