JOSEPH AKPABLI vs. THE REPUBLIC [2017]DLCA4993

Date	2017-11-30
Suit No.	CRIMINAL APPEAL NO. H2/03/2017
Citation No.	[2017]DLCA4993

E. K. AYEBI (PRESIDING) JA

GERTRUDE TORKORNOO (MRS.) JA

ANGELINA M. DOMAKYAAREH (MRS.) JA

STEPHEN ALEWABA FOR APPELLANT

ATTORNEY FOR REPUBLIC

[2017]DLCA4993
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >JOSEPH AKPABLI <o:p></o:p>(APPELLENT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;(RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>[COURT OF APPEAL, KUMASI]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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CRIMINAL APPEAL NO. H2/03/2017&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: 30TH NOVEMBER, 2017<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>STEPHEN ALEWABA FOR
APPELLANT<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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ATTORNEY
FOR REPUBLIC&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <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;
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E.
K. AYEBI (PRESIDING) JA, GERTRUDE TORKORNOO (MRS.) JA, ANGELINA M. DOMAKYAAREH
(MRS.) 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;
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JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>AYEBI,
JA<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:10.0pt;margin-left:22.5pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;
text-indent:-31.5pt;line-height:115%;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1">1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
This
is an appeal against the judgment of the High Court, Sunyani which convicted
the appellant on two counts of falsification of accounts contrary to section
140(1)(a) of the Criminal and Other Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29) and stealing
contrary to section 124(1), also of the Criminal and Offences Act, 1960 (Act
29).<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:10.0pt;margin-left:22.5pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;
text-indent:-31.5pt;line-height:115%;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1">2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
The
facts of the case are simple and straight forward.&nbsp; The appellant is an employee of Olam Ghana
Ltd. as the Tepa District Manager.&nbsp;
During the 2012/13 Cocoa Season, the Company gave the appellant an
amount of GH¢2,518,772 to buy 11,881 bags of dried cocoa beans for the
Company.&nbsp; The Zonal Manager of the appellant
is PW1.<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:10.0pt;margin-left:22.5pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;
text-indent:-31.5pt;line-height:115%;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1">3.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
The
appellant like others is required to send to him weekly reports on his
operations.&nbsp; At the close of the season,
the appellant declared in his Warehouse Ledger Book that he had purchased
11,520 bags of dried cocoa beans out of which he had sent 10,680 bags to Tema
Port leaving a balance of 840 bags in stock (in the warehouse).&nbsp; PW1 followed up on the report to appellant’s
warehouse but there was no bag of dried coca beans in stock.<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:10.0pt;margin-left:22.5pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;
text-indent:-31.5pt;line-height:115%;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1">4.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
When
confronted, the appellant told PW1 that the remaining bags of cocoa were with
the purchasing clerks and were yet to be delivered.&nbsp; PW1 gave appellant two weeks to ensure that
the bags of cocoa with the purchasing clerks were delivered to the warehouse
but he failed to do so.&nbsp; PW1 made a
report to the Branch Co-ordinator who called in the Auditor to go and verify
the complaint of PW1.<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:10.0pt;margin-left:22.5pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;
text-indent:-31.5pt;line-height:115%;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1">5.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
When
the Auditor went to the station at Tepa, only one bag of dried cocoa beans was
found in the warehouse.&nbsp; The appellant
gave the Auditor an undertaking that the remaining 839 bags will be brought
into the warehouse, but nothing came.&nbsp; So
PW1 made a report to the police, appellant was arrested and charged after
investigations with the offences.&nbsp; After
the arrest of the appellant, only 23 bags of cocoa beans were brought in.<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:10.0pt;margin-left:22.5pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;
text-indent:-31.5pt;line-height:115%;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1">6.