JOSEPH KOJO DAWSON vs. THE REPUBLIC [2011]DLCA3187

Date	2011-06-16
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. H2/17/2010
Citation No.	[2011]DLCA3187

APALOO JA (PRESIDING)

ACQUAYE JA

ADUAME JA

NANA QYE LITHUR (MRS) FOR THE APPELLANT

YVONNE ATAKÖRA OBUOBISA (MRS) PSA FOR ATTORNEY-GENERAL

[2011]DLCA3187
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >JOSEPH KOJO
DAWSON<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;[COURT
OF APPEAL, ACCRA]<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">

CIVIL APPEAL NO. H2/17/2010&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; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;DATE: 16TH JUNE, 2011<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>NANA
QYE LITHUR (MRS) FOR THE 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">

YVONNE
ATAKÖRA OBUOBISA (MRS) PSA FOR ATTORNEY-GENERAL<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM: <o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:31.0pt 31.0pt 1.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;mso-pagination:none;border:none;
mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 1.0pt 31.0pt;
mso-border-shadow:yes">APALOO JA (PRESIDING), ACQUAYE
JA,ADUAME JA<o:p></o:p>

</div>&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><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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JUDGEMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>APALOO, JA:<o:p></o:p>The appellant was charged
together with five others for various narcotic offences before the High Court,
Fast Track Division Accra. The appellant in particular was charged with the
offence of use of Property for Narcotic Offences contrary to section 10(1)(b)
of the Narcotic Drug (Control, Enforcement and Sanctions) Law 1990, PNDC Law
236.<o:p></o:p>The prosecution alleged that
Joseph Kojo Dawson who was Managing Director of Dashment Company Ltd owners of
a fishing vessel named MV Benjamin was contacted by certain "drug
barons" to charter MV Benjamin, and according to the prosecution for the
purpose of using it to convey some narcotic substances from the high seas into
Ghana, The Drug barons were named as Sheriff Asem Darke, Ande, Lee, Ande Yul
Sing and Jil Bae. Sheriff Asem Darke entered into a rental agreement with the
appellant to charter his fishing vessel MV Benjamin on a bareboat charter basis
in February 2006. Upon procuring the vessel, the "barons" engaged one
Pak Bok Sil to do some repair works on it and having completed the works, Pak
Bok Sil paid off some of the workers on the vessel but retained Isaac Arhin,
Philip Bruce Arhin, Cui Xian Li and luo Yin Xing. The vessel which was docked
at the Takoradi labour under the care of Philip Arhin set sail to the high
season 9 March, 2006. According to the prosecution Ande Yul Sing was Captain
and Ande was Chief Engineer. The crew was made up of Isaac Arhin, Philip Bruce
Arbin, Cui Xian Li, Luo Yin Xing and James Kingsley Inkoom. In the course of
the voyage according to the prosecution, the name of the vessel was changed
from MV Benjamin to MV Adedell and the boat used that name throughout the
journey till it returned to the Ghanaian territorial waters. On the ligh Seas,
the vessel collected 77 parcels of cocaine; cach weighing about 30 kilograins
from some foreign vessels before heading back to Ghanit.<o:p></o:p>MV Benjamin it is alleged got to the breakwaters of Tema llarbour
with the 77 parcels of cocaine on 26tli of April 2006 and on the same day at
about 2.00 am, two canoes drew alongside the MV Benjamin and collected 76 011
of the 77 parcels of cocaine and left one parcel on board the vessel. A cande
came for the Captain Ande Yul Sing and the Chief Engineer Ande and they were
never seen again.<o:p></o:p>Meanwhile the Narcotic Control Board (NACOB) had received
intelligence about the cocaine which was delivered to MV Benjamin A team was
organized including the Air Force and the Navy to track clown MV Benjamin. The
fact that the name of the vessel was changed contributed to the escape of thie
vesselto Tenia.<o:p></o:p>On 27th April 2006, Naval Officers who had been trying to track
down MV Benjamin noticed that an identical vessel with different name MV Adade
II was anchored at the break waters of the harbor, the security personnel
including officers from NACOB went into the vessel and after searching it, they
found one parcel which contained 30 slabs of substances which were later
confirmed by the Ghana Standard Board to be cocaine.<o:p></o:p>Arising from these activities that the six persons were charged
before the Fast Track Division of the High Court with offences under PNDC Law
236. The six persons were Joseph Kojo Dawson 1st accused and appellant herein,
Pak Bok Sil 2 accused, Isaac Arlin 3rd accused, Philp Bruce Arhin 4th accused,
Cui Xian Li 5th accused and Luo Yin Xing 6th accused.<o:p></o:p>Thic charge against the appellant as endorsed in the charge sheet
is a follows;<o:p></o:p>"COUNT ONE<o:p></o:</main>