REPUBLIC vs. LARTEY AND ANOTHER [2003]DLCA1017

Date	2003-10-16
Suit No.
Citation No.	[2003]DLCA1017

OWUSU JA

ASARE KORANG JA

OSEI JA

JOHANNES VEGBA ASSISTANT STATE ATTORNEY FOR THE REPUBLIC-APPELLANT.

ADDO-ETUAH FOR THE RESPONDENTS.

[2003]DLCA1017
																																						<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:#00B0F0">REPUBLIC<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:#00B0F0">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:#00B0F0">LARTEY AND ANOTHER<o:p></o:p>[COURT
OF APPEAL, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p>[2003-2005]
1 GLR 1<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="right" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:right;
mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">Date: 16 October 2003<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>JOHANNES
VEGBA, ASSISTANT STATE ATTORNEY, FOR THE REPUBLIC-APPELLANT.<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

ADDO-ETUAH
FOR THE RESPONDENTS. <o:p></o:p>

OWUSU,
ASARE KORANG AND OSEI JJA<o:p></o:p>

</div>JUDGEMENT<o:p></o:p>Asare Korang JA
delivered the first judgment at the invitation of Owusu JA. The respondents
were arrested by operatives of the Narcotics Control Board on drug related
charges and were subsequently handed over to the police who arraigned them before
the circuit tribunal pending investigations. The appellant herein alleges that
the narcotic drug in respect of which the respondents were arrested was
heroine.<o:p></o:p>The
first respondent had been arrested in her shop at Sakumono in Accra and the
arresting officers seized and carried away therefrom the following items: (1)
One Nokia mobile phone; (2) two flat files with documents; (3) three personal
diaries; (4) one Nigerian passport;(5) two vaccination cards—Ghana and Nigeria;
(6) two French identity cards; (7) A Nigerian passport belonging to Mr Bash O
Abatan; (8) one electric scale; (9) one mobile phone (unconnected); (10) ECG
receipts; (11) ECOWAS travelling certificate; (12) one consular card
(passport); (13) a book titled Yellow Pages of Pakistan 2000 —Industrial and
Commercial Guide; (14) a mobile phone chip; (15) one tenancy agreement and
business letters; and (16) shop keys and a few assorted documents.<o:p></o:p>It
appears that even before the respondents had been charged with any offence and
their plea taken, indeed with investigations yet to be completed, counsel for
the respondents filed an application in the Regional Tribunal, Greater Accra
for the release of the above-listed items and their restoration to the
respondents. The basis of the application was that the items were being used by
the respondents for business and social purposes and were in no way related to
the offence alleged to have been committed by the respondents.<o:p></o:p>The
police officer representing the appellant in the Regional Tribunal did not
oppose the application because the items seized, he announced, were not in
police custody, the respondents having been initially arrested by officers of
the Narcotics Control Board before being sent to the police station.<o:p></o:p>In
a ruling dated 18 July 2002, the said Regional Tribunal sitting as an
additional circuit tribunal decided 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">“By
Court <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">This
is a case of possession of drugs involving the two applicants before this
court, and the investigation into it is almost complete. The articles mentioned
in this application do not form part of the investigation. It is therefore
ordered that if the articles were seized because of the drug case, then they
should be released to the applicant without delay.”<o:p></o:p>