ABUDU WADERA AND 10 OTHERS vs. THE REPUBLIC [2020]DLCA15102

Date	2020-07-22
Suit No.	CRIMINAL APPEAL NO: H2/11/2020
Citation No.	[2020]DLCA15102

SOWAH J. A. (PRESIDING)

SUURBAAREH J. A.

MENSAH-HOMIAH J. A..

PRINCE FREDRICK NII ASHIE NEEQUAYE WITH HIM FRED ASARE-DANQUAH FOR THE APPELLANTS

HELEN SAMLAFO (ASSISTANT STATE ATTORNEY) FOR THE RESPONDENT

[2020]DLCA15102
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><a name="_Hlk44680938">ABUDU WADERA AND 10 OTHERS<o:p></o:p></a>(APPELLANTS)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>(RESPONDENTS)<o:p></o:p>[COURT
OF APPEAL, KOFORIDUA]<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;<div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0in 0in 1pt;">

CRIMINAL
APPEAL NO: H2/11/2020&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: 22ND JULY 2020<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM<o:p></o:p>SOWAH J. A. (PRESIDING),
SUURBAAREH &nbsp;J. A., MENSAH-HOMIAH J. A..<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top-width: 1.5pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-left: none; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-right: none; padding: 1pt 0in;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;border:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0in 1.0pt 0in">JUDGEMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">MENSAH-HOMIAH, JA:<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">INTRODUCTION<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">This is an appeal against the refusal of the High
Court to grant an application for bail pending trial to the Appellants herein.
The eleven (11) accused persons were arraigned before the Circuit Court,
Koforidua, on 26th February, 2020 on charges of conspiracy to commit
crime to wit mining without licence contrary to section 23(1) of the Criminal
Offences Act, 1960 (Act29) &amp; sections 99(2) (a) and 99 (3) of the Minerals
and Mining (Amendment) Act 2015, (Act 900) and &nbsp;Mining without&nbsp;
licence contrary to sections 92(2) (a) &amp; 93(3) of Act 900,
respectively.&nbsp; They have been in
pre-trial detention from the time they were arraigned before the court.<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">FACTS AND HISTORY <o:p></o:p><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">The facts of this case as set out on page 9 of
the record pf appeal (ROA) are not complicated. Acting on intelligence received
sometime in January, 2020, the Operation Vanguard Team, led by one Captain Ekow
Okyere, proceeded to a place called Wisiwisi where they arrested A1, A2 and A3
at a mining site.&nbsp; The complainant retrieved
one locally manufactured gun with cartridges, an excavator ignition key and two
excavator - monitors from the site. Upon their arrest, A1, A2 and A3 led the
team to arrest A4 and A5 at their residences. A4 and A5 admitted that they are
the masters of A1 to A3. <o:p></o:p><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">From Wisiwisi, the arresting team proceeded to
another mining site at Kontompo where A9 was arrested. &nbsp;At Kontompo, the team removed a monitor from
one of the three excavators on site. A9 led the team to the residence of A10 and
A11, where they were arrested together with A6, A7 and A8. A6 to A9 admitted
that A10 and A11 are their masters. A bowl containing black soil was also
retrieved from the said residence. Consequently, the Accused persons were
arraigned before the Circuit Court, Koforidua. Without taking their plea, the
Court remanded them into prison custody.<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Before the Circuit Court, an oral application for
bail was made on behalf of A4 to A11, but the same was refused on 24th
March, 2020. In what appears to be a repeat application with respect to A4 to
A11, and a fresh application as regards A1 to A3, counsel for the Applicants
moved the High Court to admit all the Applicants to bail for various reasons
stated in his affidavit in support thereto. In a ruling dated 8th April,
2020, the High Court, Koforidua, refused the said application and it is against
this refusal that the instant appeal has been brought.<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">GROUNDS OF APPEAL<o:p></o:p>