THE REPUBLIC vs. ERIC ATSU AMEGBE & 4ORS [2013]DLHC16764

Date	2013-06-07
Suit No.	CASE NO. FTRM/5/2011
Citation No.	[2013]DLHC16764

HIS LORDSHIP MR JUSTICE P. BRIGHT MENSAH

SEFAKOR BATSA

G.S.K. BABANAWU

J.H. SENOO

ROBERTSON KPATSA

OWUSU FORDJOUR

THOMAS HUGHES

ALI ABDUL-SAMAT

[2013]DLHC16764
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;color:#00B0F0">THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;">(PLAINTIFF)<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;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;mso-bidi-font-size:
11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;color:#00B0F0">ERIC ATSU AMEGBE
&amp; 4ORS<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;">(DEFENDANT)<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;">[HIGH COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;">&nbsp;<div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: black; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 4.5pt;">

</div><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;">COUNSEL<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">SEFAKOR BATSA, STATE ATTORNEY FOR THE
PROSECUTION<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">G.S.K. BABANAWU FOR A1<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">J.H. SENOO FOR A2<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">ROBERTSON KPATSA FOR A3<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">OWUSU FORDJOUR FOR A4<o:p></o: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: 0cm 0cm 1pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 4.5pt;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;tab-stops:4.5pt;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">THOMAS HUGHES WITH ALI ABDUL-SAMAT FOR A5<o:p></o:p>

</div><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;">CORAM <o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">HIS LORDSHIP MR JUSTICE P. BRIGHT
MENSAH<span style="font-size:
12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;"><o:p></o:p><div style="border-top-width: 1.5pt; border-top-color: black; border-left: none; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: black; border-right: none; padding: 1pt 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 4.5pt;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;border:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid black 1.5pt;mso-border-bottom-alt:
solid black 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>The
Accused persons herein stand charged with One (1) count of Conspiracy to
Steal contrary to Ss 23(1) and 124(1) of Act 29; Two (2) counts
of Stealing contrary to S.124(1) of Act 29 and Forty-four (44)
counts of Falsification of Accounts contrary to S.140(1)(a) of Act 29.&nbsp; Whereas all the Accused persons were jointly
charged with 1 count of conspiracy and 1 count of stealing, A1 and A3 were additionally
charged jointly with 1 count of stealing whilst Eric Atsu Amegbe (A1) was
singularly charged with 44 counts of Falsification of Accounts.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;Upon
their arraignment before this court all of them pleaded not guilty to all the charges
preferred against them, either jointly or singularly. &nbsp;The Accused persons having pleaded not guilty
to each count put themselves in charge of the court and it was incumbent on the
Prosecution to prove their guilt beyond reasonable doubt.&nbsp; For, the golden thread which runs throughout
the web of our criminal jurisprudence is that the guilt of the Accused shall be
proved beyond reasonable doubt.&nbsp; The
standard of proof has been statutorily provided for in S.13(1) of the Evidence
Act, 1975 (NRCD 323) that:-<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; “13(1) In any civil or criminal
action the burden of persuasion as<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; to the commission by a party of a
crime which is directly in iss</main>