KWABENA DUFFOUR & 2 ORS vs. THE REPUBLIC [2023]DLSC16137

Date	2023-05-03
Suit No.	CRIMINAL APPEAL NO. J3/05/2023
Citation No.	[2023]DLSC16137

BAFFOE-BONNIE (PRESIDING)

PWAMANG JSC

AMADU JSC

PROF. MENSA-BONSU (MRS.) JSC

ASIEDU JSC

O. K. OSAFO-BUABENG ESQ. FOR THE APPELLANTS.

YVONNE ATAKORA OBUOBISA (MRS.) (DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC PROSECUTIONS) FOR THE RESPONDENT.

[2023]DLSC16137
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >KWABENA DUFFOUR &amp; 2 ORS<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;(APPELLANTS)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p><a name="_heading=h.gjdgxs"></a>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;">

CRIMINAL APPEAL NO.
J3/05/2023&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: 3RD MAY 2023&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL <o:p></o:p>O. K. OSAFO-BUABENG ESQ. FOR THE APPELLANTS.<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="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:
normal;tab-stops:82.3pt;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">YVONNE ATAKORA
OBUOBISA (MRS.) (DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC PROSECUTIONS) FOR THE RESPONDENT.<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM<o:p></o:p><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">BAFFOE-BONNIE (PRESIDING), PWAMANG
JSC, AMADU JSC, PROF. MENSA-BONSU (MRS.) JSC, ASIEDU JSC&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; <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;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;MAJORITY DECISION<o:p></o:p>PROF.
MENSA-BONSU (MRS.) (JSC):-<o:p></o:p>This is an appeal from judgment of the Court of
Appeal dated 17th February 2022, occasioned by a Ruling of the High
Court in a criminal prosecution currently underway. <o:p></o:p>Facts
and Background<o:p></o:p>The appellant and 6 others have been arraigned
before the High Court, Accra since 12th February, 2020, for the
alleged roles they played leading to the collapse of UniBank, a Bank licenced
to operate under the Banking and Deposit-taking Act, 2016 (Act 930). They have
been charged with 68 counts of&nbsp; the
following offences: (i) conspiracy to commit fraudulent breach of trust; (ii)
fraudulent breach of trust; (iii) Money laundering; (iv) dishonesty receiving;
(v) contravention of the Bank of Ghana Act, 2002 (Act 612); (vi) wilfully causing
financial loss to the state; (vii) conspiracy to falsify accounts; and (viii)
falsification of accounts. <o:p></o:p>When, in the course of its operations, UniBank
began to show signs of distress, the Bank of Ghana stepped in , and in exercise
of its powers of supervision over banks and deposit-taking institutions,
appointed an official administrator to reorganize the affairs of the bank.
KPMG, an audit firm, was appointed Administrator of Unibank by Bank of Ghana
from 20th March 2018 – 31st July 2018. At the end of the
Official Administration, the Bank of Ghana revoked the banking licence of
UniBank and appointed Nii Amanor Dodoo,&nbsp;
a Senior Partner of KPMG, as the Official Receiver of UniBank pursuant to
the provisions of Banks and Specialised Deposit-Taking Institutions Act, 2016
(Act 930). The effective date of the appointment was 1st August
2018, that is one day after the mandate of the Official Administrator ended. <o:p></o:p>At the close of Management Conference on 22nd
February, 2021, the prosecution opened its case by calling its first witness
(PW1), Nii Amanor Dodoo, the receiver of UniBank. On 26th April, 2021, the
appellants raised objection to him testifying and challenged the status of PW1
as a competent witness. Their objection was based on the fact that being a
senior partner of KPMG, the Official Administrator of UniBank, he had taken an
active part in the management and operation of UniBank as Official
Administrator. Since one who had acted as Official Administrator was prohibited
under 122 (8) of the Act 930 from taking any position as “shareholder, director, key management personnel in a bank”, his
appointment as receiver was null and void. Consequent upon his appointment as
receiver being a nullity, he was not competent to testify in that capacity on
any matter concerning the affairs of UniBank. <o:p></o:p>The High Court overruled the objection on 22nd
June, 2021, and the appellants took the interlocutory appeal to Court of
Appeal. The Court Appeal affirmed the decision of the trial Court and dismissed
the appeal on 17th February, 2022. Appellants have filed the instant
appeal to this honourable Court.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;Case for Appellant<o:p></o:p>Appellants contend that PW1 had filed a Witness
Statement which had been adopted at the trial Court as his evidence –in-chief.
In paragraphs 4-6 of the said Witness Statement, PW1 had stated as follo</main>