DOUGLAS AFRIYIE & 10 ORS vs. THE REPUBLIC [2022]DLSC11864

Date	2022-11-09
Suit No.	CRIMINAL APPEAL NO. J3/04/2021
Citation No.	[2022]DLSC11864

DOTSE JSC (PRESIDING)

AMEGATCHER JSC

PROF. KOTEY JSC

TORKORNOO (MRS.) JSC

KULENDI JSC

MOSES KOFI OBAH ESQ. FOR THE 1ST ACCUSED/APPELLANT/APPELLANT.

STELLA OHENE APPIAH (PRINCIPAL STATE ATTORNEY) FOR THE RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT

[2022]DLSC11864
																																						<div class="restriction-wrapper">
														<div class="container-lg">
															<div class="row">
																<div class="col-md-12 restricted-content">
																	<div class="restricted-content-img-wrapper">
																		<div class="lock-icon bounce-7">
																			<img class=""
																				src="https://www.dennislawgh.com/dl-assets/dl-images/lock-content.png"
																				alt="Subscription based content">
																		</div>
																	</div>
																	 
																		<a href="https://www.dennislawgh.com/login"
																		class="btn btn-primary btn-lg"
																		style="font-family: 'open sans'; text-transform: capitalize; border-radius: 8px"> 
																		Login to Read Full Case </a>
																	 
																	
																</div>
															</div>
														</div>
													</div>
													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >DOUGLAS
AFRIYIE &amp; 10 ORS<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;(1ST ACCUSED/APPELLANT/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p><a name="_heading=h.gjdgxs"></a>THE REPUBLIC <o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; (RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;[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;">

CRIMINAL APPEAL NO.
J3/04/2021&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:
9TH&nbsp;NOVEMBER 2022<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL <o:p></o:p>MOSES KOFI OBAH ESQ. FOR THE 1ST
ACCUSED/APPELLANT/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;">

STELLA OHENE APPIAH
(PRINCIPAL STATE ATTORNEY) FOR THE RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT.<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>DOTSE JSC (PRESIDING), AMEGATCHER JSC, PROF. KOTEY JSC, TORKORNOO
(MRS.) JSC, KULENDI JSC<o:p></o: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="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:normal;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">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>&nbsp;PREAMBLE<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;DOTSE JSC:-<o:p></o:p>On the 9th of November 2022, this court
by a unanimous decision dismissed this appeal by the appellant against the
decision of the Court of Appeal which was rendered on the 29th of
June 2012. But we reserved our reasons for the said decision which we now
proceed to give.<o:p></o:p>Thomas Hutchinson, a US. Statesman of
International repute, in his writings titled “Charge to the Grand jury” in Quincy’s Reports, 232, 234 published
in 1767 stated as follows:-<o:p></o:p>“There is one general observation I would make; that the End of
Government is the Happiness of every individual, so far as is consistent with
the Good of the Whole. To attain this End is impossible without laws, and their
due execution. Tis necessary that Laws should be established, else Judges and Juries
must go according to their Reason, that is their will; and this is in the
strictest sense arbitrary. On this Reason, I take to be grounded that well
known maxim, that the Judge should never be the Legislator: Because, then, the
will of the Judge would be the Law; and this tends directly to a state of
slavery. The Rules and orders of a state must be known, and must be certain,
that the people may know how to act, or else they are equally uncertain, as if
the Law depended upon the arbitrary opinion of another.”<o:p></o:p>See “The Quotable Founding Fathers” edited by Buckner F. Melton Jr.
pages 194-195. <o:p></o:p>The above statement is very appropriate to the
circumstances under which the 1st accused/appellant/appellant
hereafter referred to as the appellant, finds himself. Fact of the matter is
that, he must be deemed to be aware of the consequences of his act or actions
that night. Let us take note of the following:-<o:p></o:p>i.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
That,
there also exists laws and judicial processes under which he was arrested,
investigated, prosecuted and convicted.<o:p></o:p>ii.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
That
it is also because of the certainty and clarity of the due processes that the
appellant has had the opportunity to appeal up to the present level of the
judicial ladder.<o:p></o:p>iii.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp</main>