[2018]DLHC17233 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">IBRAHIM ABUBAKARI <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/312/2018 DATE: 4<sup>TH</sup> DECEMBER 2018</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="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif">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="MsoNoSpacing" style="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;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">JOSEPH NICHOLAS NKRUMAH ESQ., FOR THE APPELLANT AMELEY AGYEMANG ESQ., FOR THE REPUBLIC<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="MsoBodyText" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">This<span style="letter-spacing:-.05pt"> </span>is<span style="letter-spacing:-.15pt"> </span>essentially<span style="letter-spacing:-.05pt"> </span>an appeal against<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt"> </span>sentence. The brief<span style="letter-spacing:-.2pt"> </span>facts<span style="letter-spacing:-.15pt"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing:-.05pt"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"> </span>case<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"> </span>is<span style="letter-spacing:-.05pt"> </span>that<span style="letter-spacing:-.05pt"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"> </span>Complainant in this case was a transporter who resided at Dansoman in Accra, while the Appellant, Ibrahim Abubakari was a driver who resided at Ashaiman. A2, Comfort Awudu<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt"> </span>@ Adwoa was a business woman who also resided at Ashaiman. A3, Nuru and A4, Muntallah are now at large. On 6<sup>th</sup> February, 2014 the Appellant who was in charge of a DAF truck with registration number GT- 9518-09 was engaged by the Complainant through a friend, Misliwu Rahman who was also a transporter,<span style="letter-spacing:-.7pt"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing:-.7pt"> </span>convey<span style="letter-spacing:-.65pt"> </span>900<span style="letter-spacing:-.7pt"> </span>bags<span style="letter-spacing:-.65pt"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing:-.7pt"> </span>50kg<span style="letter-spacing:-.65pt"> </span>Cowboy<span style="letter-spacing:-.7pt"> </span>rice<span style="letter-spacing:-.7pt"> </span>valued<span style="letter-spacing:-.65pt"> </span>at<span style="letter-spacing:-.7pt"> </span>GHC161,100.00<span style="letter-spacing:-.65pt"> </span>from<span style="letter-spacing:-.7pt"> </span>Kpone,<span style="letter-spacing:-.65pt"> </span>Tema to Sunyani in the Brong Ahafo Region. However, after loading the truck with the rice, the Appellant, A3 and A4 agreed to divert and sell the 900 bags of rice. When A2 was contacted on phone<span style="letter-spacing:-.25pt"> </span>by<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"> </span>Appellant she<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"> </span>agreed<span style="letter-spacing:-.15pt"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing:-.25pt"> </span>buy<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"> </span>rice<span style="letter-spacing:-.25pt"> </span>at<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing:-.15pt"> </span>price<span style="letter-spacing:-.15pt"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"> </span>GHC90.00<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"> </span>per<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"> </span>bag.<span style="letter-spacing:-.2pt"> </span>A2<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"> </span>then<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"> </span><span style="letter-spacing:-.2pt">came</span> to<span style="letter-spacing:-.15pt"> </span>meet<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt"> </span>with<span style="letter-spacing:-.15pt"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing:-.2pt"> </span>Appellant,<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt"> </span>A3<span style="letter-spacing:-.15pt"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing:-.15pt"> </span>A4<span style="letter-spacing:-.15pt"> </span>at<span style="letter-spacing:-.15pt"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing:-.2pt"> </span>Tema<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"> </span>motorway<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"> </span>roundabout<span style="letter-spacing:-.15pt"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing:-.15pt"> </span>directed<span style="letter-spacing:-.25pt"> </span>them<span style="letter-spacing:-.3pt"> </span>to discharge the 900 bags of rice into her store at Zenu in Ashaiman. Thereafter, the four Accused persons went into hiding<span style="letter-spacing:-.05pt"> </span>until<span style="letter-spacing:-.05pt"> </span>the 19<sup>th</sup> of April, 2014, when the Appellant was arrested from his hideout at Ashaiman. In the course of investigations, the Appellant admitted the offence in his cautioned<span style="letter-spacing:-.05pt"> </span>statement<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt"> </span>in<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"> </span>presence<span style="letter-spacing:-.2pt"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing:-.05pt"> </span>an<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt"> </span>independent<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"> </span>witness.<span style="letter-spacing:-.2pt"> </span>A2<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"> </span>was<span style="letter-spacing:-.15pt"> </span>later<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"> </span>arrested<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"> </span>from<span style="letter-spacing:-.15pt"> </span>her hideout in Ashaiman and she also admitted the offence in the presence of an independent witness. Police investigations at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), Tema also revealed<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"> </span>that the vehicle’s<span style="letter-spacing:-.05pt"> </span>registration<span style="letter-spacing:-.05pt"> </span>number GT-9518-09 was for a saloon car and not for the DAF truck<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"> </span>used in committing<span style="letter-spacing:-.05pt"> </span>the crime.<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"> </span>A3 and A4 are still<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt"> </span>being<span style="letter-spacing:-.05pt"> </span>searched<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"> </span>for by<span style="letter-spacing:-.2pt"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"> </span>Police and are yet to be apprehended. However, the Appellant and A2 were charged with the offence of conspiracy contrary to section 23(1) and stealing, contrary to secti