MICHAEL ASAMOAH & ANOR. vs. THE REPUBLIC [2017]DLSC2628

Date	2017-07-26
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. J3/4/2017
Citation No.	[2017]DLSC2628

ADINYIRA (MRS) JSC (PRESIDING)

DOTSE JSC

BAFFOE-BONNIE JSC

GBADEGBE JSC

AKOTO-BAMFO (MRS) JSC

AUGUSTINE OBOUR FOR THE APPELLANT.

EVELYN KEELSON CHIEF STATE ATTORNEY FOR THE RESPONDENT.

[2017]DLSC2628
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >MICHAEL ASAMOAH &amp; ANOR.<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;[SUPREME COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

CIVIL
APPEAL NO. J3/4/2017&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;&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: 26TH
JULY, 2017<o:p></o:p>

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

EVELYN KEELSON, CHIEF STATE ATTORNEY FOR THE
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;
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ADINYIRA (MRS), JSC (PRESIDING) DOTSE, JSC
BAFFOE-BONNIE, JSC GBADEGBE, JSC AND AKOTO-BAMFO (MRS), JSC <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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JUDGEMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>ADINYIRA (MRS), JSC:-<o:p></o:p>Your
ladyship and your Lordships permit me to preface my opinion with the dictum of
Lamer CJ in the Canadian case of R v P (MB) [1994] 1 SCR 555 on submission of no case:<o:p></o:p>“Perhaps the single most important organizing
principle in criminal law is the right of the accused not to be forced into
assisting in his or her own prosecution. This means, in effect, that an accused
is under no obligation to respond until the state has succeeded in making out a
prima facie case against him or her.”<o:p></o:p>This case came before us by way of an appeal from
the judgment of the Court of Appeal delivered on14 July 2016 in which the Court
of Appeal affirmed the decision of the High Court (Financial Division One)
Accra to call upon the Appellants to open their defence after the close of
prosecution’s case.<o:p></o:p>BRIEF FACTS<o:p></o:p>On the 27th of June, 2013 personnel from
the CID Headquarters Accra, in collaboration with officials of the Telecom
Service Providers embarked on an operation to clamp down on the activities of
illegal SIM box operators. The operation led to the arrest of the first Appellants
Michael Asamoah, (1st Appellant), who the police have monitored for
some time as one of the operators of SIM box fraud. <o:p></o:p>Upon his arrest, the team escorted the 1st
Appellant to a shop at Abossey Okai where the alleged illegal activities take
place. The shop was forced open and five GOIP SIM box equipments and its
accessories, four heavy duty batteries, three UPS and one power inverter were
found. The equipments had been activated and running to terminate international
calls. The first Appellant disclosed that the SIM boxes and other equipments
and accessories belong to Anthony Ogunsawo (2nd Appellant) a Nigerian
resident in Madina, Accra. Investigations revealed that the 2nd
Appellant engaged the services of the 1st Appellant and he installed
the internet link which facilitates the termination of calls by the SIM boxes. <o:p></o:p>Upon his arrest, the 2nd Appellants
disclosed that the illegal SIM box was initiated by himself and two others at
large, namely Zimi and Forster. &nbsp;And he
engaged the 1st Appellant to render technical services and manage
the operations of the SIM box. <o:p></o:p>The 2nd Appellant disclosed that he
received payment from his principals in the U.S.A. ranging from $20,000 to
$30,000 on monthly basis. Out of these payments, he paid the f1st Appellant
an amount of USD 2,800 depending on the internet services he provided; and an
amount of USD 560 per month for the management of the SIM boxes.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;Based upon
these facts the Appellants were arraigned before the High Court on three counts
of:<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-style:italic">1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Conspiracy to
commit crime namely, providing electronic communication service without licence
contrary to S23(1) of the Criminal Offences Act 1960, Act 29 and S3(1) of the <a name="OLE_LINK1">Electronic Communication</a> Act 2008, Act 775, <o:p></o:p>