[2014]DLCA3605 Login to Read Full Case <span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: center; line-height: 15.55pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#00B0F0;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB; mso-fareast-language:#0C00">RAYMOND WIREDU YEBOAH</span></b><span lang="en-GH" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: center; line-height: 15.55pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#00B0F0;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB; mso-fareast-language:#0C00">vs.</span></b><span lang="en-GH" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: center; line-height: 15.55pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#00B0F0;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB; mso-fareast-language:#0C00">THE REPUBLIC</span></b><span lang="en-GH" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: center; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span lang="en-GH" style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">[COURT OF APPEAL, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom: 1.5pt solid windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; border: none; padding: 0cm;"><span lang="en-GH" style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">CRIMINALAPPEALNO.H2/10/2012 </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;"> </span><span lang="en-GH" style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;"> </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;"> </span><span lang="en-GH" style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">DATE: 10<sup>TH </sup>APRIL, 2014<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span lang="en-GH" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">CORAM:</span></b><span lang="en-GH" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span lang="en-GH" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">APALOO J.A (PRESIDING) ADUAMA OSEI, J.A SOWAH (MRS.), J.A<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="border-top: 1.5pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-bottom: 1.5pt solid windowtext; border-right: none; padding: 1pt 0cm; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; line-height: 15.55pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; border: none; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;"> </span><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">JUDGEMENT<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span lang="en-GH" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">SOWAH, J.A.</span></u></b><span lang="en-GH" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span lang="en-GH" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">The facts upon which the appellant was arraigned before the trial court were as follows:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt 36pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><i><span lang="en-GH" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">“The accused Raymond Wiredu Yeboah is a Belgium of Ghanaian origin but residence [sic] in UK. On 28<sup>th</sup> June 2008 at about 8.30 pm the accused arrived at Kotoka International Airport to board a KLM flight to Amsterdam. While going through pre-boarding formalities, he was suspected by operatives of NACOB on duty of carrying narcotic drugs in his stomach. When accused was interrogated, he confessed to having swallowed narcotic substances. He was arrested put under observation where he expelled 75 pellets of whitish substances suspected to be cocaine. During the interrogation he stated that he had received the drugs from one Jeffery, a Ghanaian to be delivered to unnamed person in Amsterdam for a fee of 3,800 Euros. He has however failed to assist the police arresting the said Jeffery who gave him the drugs. The exhibits were sent to Ghana Standard Board for analysis and it tested positive for cocaine.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span lang="en-GH" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">On these facts the appellant was charged on two counts with Attempted Exportation of Narcotic Drugs contrary to section 1(1) and section 56(a) of the Narcotic Drugs (Control, Enforcement and Sanctions) Act 1990 (PNDCL 236) and Possession of Narcotic Drugs, contrary to section 2(1) of the Narcotic Drugs (Control, Enforcement and Sanctions) Act 1990 (PNDCL 236).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span lang="en-GH" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">He pled not guilty when he was first arraigned on 7<sup>th</sup> February 2012 but subsequently on 2<sup>nd</sup> March 2012 whilst represented by counsel, he changed his plea to guilty on both counts and he was duly convicted on his own plea. His counsel made a statement in mitigation, reminding the court that the incident had happened in 2008. He was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment on each count to run concurrently.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span lang="en-GH" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">The appellant filed the notice of appeal on 18<sup>th</sup> December 2012 against the whole decision of the court with the following two grounds of appeal:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span lang="en-GH" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">1. The trial judge erred when he convicted the appellant for possession<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: in