G/L/CPL EKOW RUSSEL vs. THE REPUBLIC [2013]DLCA8088

Date	2013-02-14
Suit No.	CRIMINAL APPEAL SUIT NO. H2/3/2012
Citation No.	[2013]DLCA8088

APALOO JA (PRESIDING)

DUOSE JA

DANQUAH JA

AUGUSTINE OBOUR ESQ FOR APPELLANT

EVELYN D. KEELSON (MRS) FOR RESPONDENT

[2013]DLCA8088
																																						<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" >G/L/CPL
EKOW RUSSEL<o:p></o:p>(APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>THE
REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>(RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>[COURT OF APPEAL, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

CRIMINAL
APPEAL SUIT NO. H2/3/2012&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &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: 14TH
FEBRUARY, 2013<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL.<o:p></o:p>AUGUSTINE
OBOUR ESQ FOR APPELLANT<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

EVELYN
D. KEELSON (MRS) FOR RESPONDENT<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:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

APALOO
JA (PRESIDING), DUOSE JA, DANQUAH JA<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>APALOO JA;&nbsp;&nbsp; The appellant G/L/CPL Ekow Russel was
charged with three counts of Possession
of Narcotic Drugs contrary to section 2 of the Narcotic Drugs (Control,
Enforcement and Sanctions) Act, 1990, PNDCL 236, Supply of Narcotic Drug contrary to section 6(1) of PNDCL 236 and Engaging in Prohibited business relating to Narcotic drugs
contrary to section 3(1) of PNDCL 236.&nbsp;
The appellant was tried before the High Court Accra, was convicted on
the first two counts, to wit Possession
of Narcotic drugs and Supply of
Narcotic drugs and sentenced to 12 years IHL.&nbsp; He was however acquitted on the third count
of Engaging in Prohibited business
relating to Narcotic Drugs.&nbsp; It is
against this conviction and sentence that he has filed this appeal on four
grounds and the grounds are;<o:p></o:p>1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
“Count
one (1) of the charge sheet is incurably bad.<o:p></o:p>2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
The
trial Judge erred when he admitted Exhibits F and G into evidence.<o:p></o:p>3.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
The
trial Judge further erred in Law when he relied solely on Exhibit F to convict
the appellant.<o:p></o:p>4.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
The
sentence is harsh and ambigious.”<o:p></o:p>The
prosecution had alleged at the Court below that one Maxwell Antwi now deceased,
a car dealer at Nyamekye, a suburb of Accra was arrested on 27th
March, 2007 by L/Cpl Thomas Anyekase on suspicion of having in his possession,
a quantity of narcotic drug which he was offering for sale.&nbsp; A search conducted on him revealed some
whitish substance, suspected to be cocaine.&nbsp;
When he was interrogated subsequently, he disclosed that the substance
was part of some 900 grams of similar substance the appellant gave him to sell
on his behalf.<o:p></o:p>Maxwell
Antwi further stated that he had already sold some and handed over the money to
the appellant and that he was in the process of offering the rest of the
substance for sale when he was arrested.&nbsp;
The Appellant, L/Cpl Ekow Russel was a Police Officer attached to the
Regional Headquarters Accra.&nbsp; When he was
arrested by the Police upon Maxwell Antwi’s information he confirmed the story
of Maxwell Antwi and further stated that he had given the substance to Antwi to
sell on his behalf, after he had obtained the substance from some Nigerian drug
dealers.&nbsp; The substance in question
proved positive for cocaine after laboratory analysis.<o:p></o:p>While
investigations into the matter were going on, it was revealed that on 16th
January, 2007 the </main>