FRANCIS ARTHUR vs. THE REPUBLIC [2021]DLSC11148

Date	2021-12-08
Suit No.	CRIMINAL APPEAL NO. J3/02/2020
Citation No.	[2021]DLSC11148

YEBOAH CJ (PRESIDING)

PWAMANG JSC

AMEGATCHER JSC

TORKORNOO (MRS.) JSC

KULENDI JSC

KORKOR OKUTU FOR THE APPELLANT

VICTORIA ASIEDUAH (PRINCIPAL STATE ATTORNEY) FOR THE RESPONDENT

[2021]DLSC11148
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >FRANCIS
ARTHUR<o:p></o:p>(APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>THE
REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>(RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>[SUPREME COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o: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="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:
.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:center;line-height:150%;border:none;
mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">CRIMINAL APPEAL NO. J3/02/2020&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;DATE: 8TH DECEMBER,
2021<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL<o:p></o:p>KORKOR OKUTU FOR THE APPELLANT<o:p></o: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;">

VICTORIA ASIEDUAH (PRINCIPAL STATE ATTORNEY) FOR
THE RESPONDENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>YEBOAH CJ (PRESIDING), PWAMANG JSC, AMEGATCHER
JSC, TORKORNOO (MRS.) JSC, KULENDI JSC<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 0cm;">

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:150%;
border:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;mso-border-bottom-alt:
solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>AMEGATCHER
JSC:-<o:p></o:p>This is an appeal from the judgment of the Court
of Appeal dated 21st February 2018. That judgment affirmed the
appellant’s conviction and sentence to 10 years I.H.L for the offence of
stealing contrary to section 124(1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act
29). <o:p></o:p>The facts culminating in this appeal are amply
captured by the decision of the Court of Appeal. However, we will reiterate
them in our own words as follows.<o:p></o:p>Francis Arthur, the appellant, was the Customer
Service Manager of Ecobank Ghana Limited at its Takoradi Main Harbour Branch.
Sometime in June 2013, an investigative team of Ecobank Limited (“the Bank”) arrived
at Takoradi from the head office in Accra, particularly tothe appellant’s
branch to conduct a routine training. While there, Ebenezer Lartey, a member of
the team who is the head of the Security and Investigation Department of the
Bank (the complainant and PW1) spotted a Porsche Cayenne vehicle parked
at the branch. His curiosity drove him to make inquiries regarding the
ownership of the vehicle. His enquiries ultimately led to the identification of
the appellant as the owner of the vehicle. <o:p></o:p>Following this, the branch manager (PW2), who
was uncomfortable with some irregular transaction on the branch’s computer, drew
PW1’s attention to it. As events would have it, further probing revealed that
the appellant was responsible for the irregular transaction. The appellant was,
therefore, confronted with this discovery. He admitted to wrongdoing, sat
before the computer and within a short time tabulated some wrongful
transactions which facilitated his withdrawal of sums of money amounting to GHS
1,342,000.00, for his personal use. <o:p></o:p>Appellant then recounted his use of this amount,
which comprised his purchase of two Mitsubishi Pajero vehicles, a Porsche
Cayenne vehicle, a Toyota Hilux Pick-up vehicle, an uncompleted four flats, two
apartment buildings at Nkroful and a two-bedroom house as Apowa, all within the
environs of Takoradi. Additionally, GHS 400,000.00 of this amount had been
deposited by the appellant in Treasury Bill investments at the Takoradi Branch
of Zenith Bank.<o:p></o:p>In a bid to return the Bank’s money, the appellant
led the way to retrieve the GHS 400,000.00 investment at the Takoradi Branch of
Zenith Bank, through a Power of Attorney, which he executed in the name of the
Bank. Further, the appellant led the way to the landed properties.<o:p></o:p>On the team’s return to the Bank’s head office at
Accra, the appellant was handed over to the police. At the Criminal
Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service on 10thJune
2013, appellant gave an investigation cautioned statement witnessed by an
independent witness and among other things admitted to stealing GHS
1,342,000.00. Subsequently on 28th June 2013, in the presence of the
same independent witness, appellant in another investigation cautioned statement
admitted to stealing an enhanced amount of GHS 1,701,217.45. <o:p></o:p>After investigations, appellant was arraigned
before the High Court, Accra on the charges of stealing and forgery of other
documents. At the end of the evidence, the High Court on 17th November
2017 convicted the appellant on both counts and sentenced him to ten years IHL
on the stealing charge and two years IHL on the forgery charge to run
concurrently. The appellant was naturally dissatisfied with his conviction. He
appealed to the Court of Appeal, which upheld the conviction for the offence of
stealing but allowed the appeal in respect of the offence of forgery of other
documents. It is from this judgment which prompted the appellant to appeal to
the Supreme Court on the following grounds:<o:p></o:p>a.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
The Court below
erred in law when it upheld the findings of the High Court to the effect that
the offence of stealing upon which the appellant was convicted was proven. <o:p></o:p>&nbsp;</main>