CLIFFORD BRONI BEDIAKO vs THE REPUBLIC [2201]DLCA16154

Date	2010-12-16
Suit No.	SUIT NO: H2/1/2010
Citation No.	[2201]DLCA16154

GM QUAYE JA. (PRESIDING)

YAW APPAU JA

DENNIS D ADJEI JA

MR. STEPHEN AHOR

MR. MICHEAL OTENG

[2201]DLCA16154
																																						<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" >CLIFFORD BRONI BEDIAKO<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>[COURT OF APPEAL, ACCRA]<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: 0cm 0cm 1pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 4.5pt;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">SUIT NO: H2/1/2010&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: 16TH DECEMBER 2010<o:p></o:p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">MR.
STEPHEN AHOR WITH HIM MR. MICHEAL OTENG FOR APPELLANT<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM<o:p></o:p>GM QUAYE JA. (PRESIDING), YAW APPAU JA, DENNIS D
ADJEI JA<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; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 4.5pt;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;tab-stops:
center 242.9pt left 303.0pt;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">&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; JUDGMENT&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>

</div>DENNIS
D ADJEI JA<o:p></o:p>The appellant stood trial at the Greater
Accra Regional Tribunal, Accra on a charge of possession of narcotic drug
without lawful authority contrary to Section 2 of the Narcotic Drugs (Control,
Enforcement and Sanction Law) PNDCL 236/1990.&nbsp;
The Appellant pleaded not guilty to the offence and trial started on 24th
May 2006.&nbsp; In the course of the trial the
Appellant applied to change his plea and the plea was retaken but the
explanation offered suggested that he was not guilty and the trial Tribunal continued
with the hearing of the matter to its finality.&nbsp;
The plea which was retaken in the middle of the trial has been raised as
an issue by the Appellant and the legal issues involved would be addressed in
due course.<o:p></o:p>Briefly stated the case of the
prosecution was that the Appellant, a Ghanaian who was pursuing a Masters
programme in London Metropolitan University was arrested at the Kotoka International
Airport on 14th July 2005 when he was scheduled to travel to London on
board a KLM Flight.&nbsp; The Appellant was
suspected of possessing narcotic drug by the officer from the Narcotic Control
Unit who was on duty at the Kotoka International Airport.&nbsp; The Appellant was taken to the 37 Military Hospital
where an X-ray examination revealed that he had foreign material in his
stomach.&nbsp; The Appellant expelled 36
whitish pellets under the supervision of the Narcotics Control Unit officials.&nbsp; The forensic examination by the Ghana
Standards Board revealed that the foreign substance which was hidden in the
Appellant’s stomach was cocaine with a percentage purity of 71.4% with total
gross weight of 320 grams.<o:p></o:p>The Appellant admitted having swallowed
the 36 pellets of foreign material into his stomach but said that the substance
was diamond and not cocaine.&nbsp; The main issues
for determination before the tribunal were two folds namely:<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:0cm;
margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:54.0pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;
text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-indent:-36.0pt;mso-list:
l7 level1 lfo1">i.<span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Whether or not the substance found in the
stomach of the Appellant which was expelled under the supervision of the
personnel of the Narcotics Control Board was either cocaine or diamond and <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:0cm;
margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:54.0pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;
text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph">&nbsp;<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:0cm;
margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:54.0pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;
text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-indent:-36.0pt;mso-list:
l7 level1 lfo1">ii.<span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
<!--[endif]-</main>