ERIC ASANTE vs. THE REPUBLIC [2018]DLSC479

Date	2018-05-30
Suit No.	CRIMINAL MOTION NO. J8A/03/2017
Citation No.	[2018]DLSC479

YEBOAH JSC (PRESIDING)

BAFFOE-BONNIE JSC

GBADEGBE JSC

APPAU JSC

PWAMANG JSC

VICTOR KWESI OPEKU FOR THE APPLICANT

VICTORIA ASIEDUWAH (SENIOR STATE ATTORNEY) FOR THE RESPONDENT

<p class="mb-5" id="contentDlCitation"  hidden>[2018]DLSC479</p>
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><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: 115%; 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-US" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">CRIMINALMOTIONNO.J8A/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; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; DATE: 30<sup>TH</sup>&nbsp;MAY, 2018</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>

</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
115%"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica">COUNSEL:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
115%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica">VICTOR KWESI OPEKU FOR THE
APPLICANT.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;
mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica">VICTORIA
ASIEDUWAH (SENIOR STATE ATTORNEY) FOR THE RESPONDENT.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;
mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica">YEBOAH
JSC (PRESIDING), BAFFOE-BONNIE JSC, GBADEGBE JSC, APPAU JSC AND&nbsp;PWAMANG
JSC<o:p></o:p></span></p>

</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
115%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica">&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif">RULING</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>

</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; 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-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">GBADEGBE JSC:</span></u></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">We have before us in the exercise
of our jurisdiction under article 14 (7) of the Constitution a claim by the
applicant herein for compensation. Article 14(7) provides:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt 36pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; 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-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">“Where a person who has served the whole or a part of his sentence
is acquitted on appeal by a court, other than the Supreme Court, the court may
certify to the Supreme Court that the person acquitted be paid compensation;
and the Supreme Court may, upon examination of all the facts and the
certificate of the court concerned, award such compensation as it may think
fit; or where the acquittal is by the Supreme Court, it may order compensation
to be paid to the person acquitted.”</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">The background to the matter herein
may be set out shortly as follows. The applicant was convicted on a charge of
defilement by the High Court on September 05, 2005. His appeal to the Court of
Appeal was unsuccessful but a further appeal to this court was allowed in an
unreported judgment dated January 26, 2017, a copy of which has been exhibited
to the proceedings herein as “A”. Following his acquittal, the applicant has
applied to us under article 14(7) of the Constitution and a related provision
contained in article 14 (5) of the Constitution for compensation.&nbsp; The
substance of the complaint made under article 14 (5) is that as the conviction
was founded upon his arrest on November 14, 2003 and he remained in custody
from that date until he was acquitted and discharged by the Supreme Court, the
period of his confinement before the trial process be taken into account in
determining the appropriate compensation to which he is entitled. Article 14
(5) of the Constitution provides:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt 36pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; 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-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">“A person who is unlawfully arrested, restricted or detained by
any other person shall be entitled to compensation rom that other person.”</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></main>