[2017]DLHC17241 Login to Read Full Case <span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%; tab-stops:4.5pt"><a name="_Hlk152146143"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";color:#00B0F0">KWADWO OSEI <o:p></o:p></span></b></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%; tab-stops:4.5pt"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">(PLAINTIFF)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%; tab-stops:4.5pt"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua";color:#00B0F0">vs.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%; tab-stops:4.5pt"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua";color:#00B0F0">THE REPUBLIC <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%; tab-stops:4.5pt"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">(DEFENDANT)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%; tab-stops:4.5pt"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"">[HIGH COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;tab-stops:4.5pt 168.75pt"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua""> </span></p><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;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;tab-stops:4.5pt; border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid black 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><a name="_heading=h.gjdgxs"></a><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">SUIT NO. CR 850/2016 DATE: 31<sup>ST</sup> JULY, 2017</span><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua""><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;tab-stops:4.5pt"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"">COUNSEL<o:p></o:p></span></b></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;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;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: "Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">NANA ADOMA OSEI ESQ., STATE ATTORNEY FOR THE REPUBLIC APPELLANT IN PERSON<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;tab-stops:4.5pt"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"">CORAM <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;tab-stops:4.5pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">HIS LORDSHIP JUSTICE CHARLES EDWARD EKOW BAIDEN</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"><o:p></o:p></span></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;"> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%; tab-stops:4.5pt;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"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"">JUDGMENT</span></b><b><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua""><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> </div><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif">INTRODUCTORY BACKGROUND<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom: 0cm;margin-left:7.0pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent:0cm;line-height:115%; mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:39.7pt"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">[1]<span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></b><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">The<span style="letter-spacing:-.55pt"> </span>Victim<span style="letter-spacing:-.6pt"> </span>is<span style="letter-spacing:-.5pt"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing:-.55pt"> </span>project<span style="letter-spacing:-.5pt"> </span>officer<span style="letter-spacing:-.55pt"> </span>with<span style="letter-spacing:-.75pt"> </span>Hunger<span style="letter-spacing:-.5pt"> </span>Project<span style="letter-spacing:-.55pt"> </span>Ghana,<span style="letter-spacing:-.55pt"> </span>an<span style="letter-spacing:-.6pt"> </span>NGO<span style="letter-spacing:-.55pt"> </span>based in<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"> </span>Birim<span style="letter-spacing:-.15pt"> </span>North<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"> </span>Appellant<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"> </span>is a<span style="letter-spacing:-.05pt"> </span>driver who<span style="letter-spacing:-.05pt"> </span>resided<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"> </span>at<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"> </span>Aboabo,<span style="letter-spacing:-.05pt"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing:-.05pt"> </span>suburb<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"> </span>of Oda.<span style="letter-spacing:-.45pt"> </span>The<span style="letter-spacing:-.35pt"> </span>Victim<span style="letter-spacing:-.55pt"> </span>owned<span style="letter-spacing:-.5pt"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing:-.4pt"> </span>KIA<span style="letter-spacing:-.5pt"> </span>Avella<span style="letter-spacing:-.5pt"> </span>taxi<span style="letter-spacing:-.45pt"> </span>with<span style="letter-spacing:-.55pt"> </span>registration<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt"> </span>number<span style="letter-spacing:-.5pt"> </span>AS<span style="letter-spacing:-.4pt"> </span>5784<span style="letter-spacing:-.55pt"> </span>Y<span style="letter-spacing:-.35pt"> </span>and employed one Kojo Korankye, who resided at Oda, as caretaker of the taxi. On 25 February 2013, the caretaker handed over the vehicle to a driver known as ‘Flat Body’ to use same for commercial purpose. According to the facts, after obtaining another job ‘Flat Body’ handed over the vehicle to the Appellant to use for commercial purposes but failed to return same. After a complaint was lodged,<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing:-.3pt"> </span>Police<span style="letter-spacing:-.35pt"> </span>received<span style="letter-spacing:-.45pt"> </span>information<span style="letter-spacing:-.4pt"> </span>that<span style="letter-spacing:-.4pt"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing:-.3pt"> </span>Appellant<span style="letter-spacing:-.4pt"> </span>was<span style="letter-spacing:-.2pt"> </span>hiding<span style="letter-spacing:-.35pt"> </span>at<span style="letter-spacing:-.3pt"> </span>Adenta in<span style="letter-spacing:-.8pt"> </span>Accra<span style="letter-spacing: -.8pt"> </span>who<span style="letter-spacing:-.8pt"> </span>was<span style="letter-spacing:-.8pt"> </span>traced<span style="letter-spacing:-.8pt"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing:-.75pt"> </span>his<span style="letter-spacing:-.8pt"> </span>hideout.<span style="letter-spacing:-.8pt"> </span>The<span style="letter-spacing:-.75pt"> </span>Appellant<span style="letter-spacing:-.75pt"> </span>failed<span style="letter-spacing:-.8pt"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing:-.8pt"> </span>return<span style="letter-spacing:-.8pt"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing:-.75pt"> </span>vehicle or produce the person whom he claimed he had given same.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom: 0cm;margin-left:7.0pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent:0cm;line-height:115%; mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:42.95pt"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">[2]<span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; lin