BONSU ALIAS BENJILLO vs THE REPUBLIC [1999]DLSC118

Date	1999-12-22
Suit No.
Citation No.	[1999]DLSC118

BAMFORD-ADDO JSC

AMPIAH JSC

KPEGAH JSC

ATUGUBA JSC

SAPONG JSC

PETER ALA ADJETEY FOR THE APPELLANT.

OSAFO SAMPONG(CHIEF SATE ATTORNEY) FOR THE REPUBLIC.

[1999]DLSC118
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B0F0">BONSU ALIAS BENJILLO<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
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mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B0F0">THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>[SUPREME COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p>[1999-2000] 1 GLR 199<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid black 1.0pt;
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<p class="MsoNormal" align="right" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:right;
mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid black .5pt;
padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 1.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">Date: 22 DECEMBER 1999<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:PETER ALA
ADJETEY FOR THE APPELLANT.OSAFO SAMPONG,
CHIEF SATE ATTORNEY, FOR THE REPUBLIC._____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________CORAM:BAMFORD-ADDO,
AMPIAH, KPEGAH, ATUGUBA AND SAPONG JJSC_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________JUDGMENT OF BAMFORD-ADDO JSC.<o:p></o:p>This appeal arose out of the case of Sylvester Chuka Osunoh and
four others including appellant who was 2” Accused in the case, The charge
sheet contains three Counts but the Count in respect of which appeal has been
brought relates to Count 3 and reads as follows:<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">“Count Three <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">Statement of Offence Possessing <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">Narcotic drug contrary to section 2(1) of the Narcotic Drugs
(Control Enforcement and Sanction) Law 1990 (PNDCL 236) <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:307.5pt;
border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">Particulars of Offence &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; <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">Sylvester Chuka Osunoh, George Bonsu alias Benjillo, Henry Akoto,
Gordon Amartey and Alexander Osunoh on 27 March 1996 at Accra in the Greater
Accra Circuit of the Republic of Ghana and within the jurisdiction of this
Tribunal did have in your possession 417.0670 grammes of heroin a narcotic
drug, without lawful authority.”<o:p></o:p>The facts are that on 27 of March 1996 Gordon Amartey, the fourth
accused in the case and an administrative officer of the General Post Office,
Accra collected an EMS parcel addressed to one Idrissu Mohammed from the post
office. Upon collection of the parcel he took it to an office and put it in a
disused fridge and he was later arrested by the Narcotics Control Board and the
Customs Excise and Preventive Services (CEPS) officials who had mounted
surveillance on him. When he was arrested he retrieved the parcel and led the
officers to the office of the third accused, Akoto, to whom he handed it over
the parcel. Akoto upon receipt of same also handed it to a stationary dealer in
front of the office and the boy at once put it in a box near him and closed it.
Akoto was also arrested and when questioned as to who owned the parcel, he led
them to the second accused’s shop and handed the parcel to the second accused
who took possession of it. Upon interrogation, the second accused in turn
claimed that it belonged to one Mohammed who asked him to receive it from the
third accused and to keep it until it was collected from him by the first
accused, a Nigerian. He took the officers to a hotel in Accra where he claimed
the first accused was lodging but the latter was not met. They then all
returned to the second accused’s store where the first and fifth accused
persons, both Nigerians, were met waiting, and the second accused handed over
the parcel to first accused.<o:p></o:p>All the five accused persons were arrested and taken to the
Narcotic Board’s office where the parcel was opened and was found to contain
two books whose hard covers were packed with some substance later found to be
heroin. Whereupon the five persons were charged with the three counts of the
following offences: Abetment of crime, to wit unlawful importation of narcotic
drug contrary to section 5(c) of the Narcotic Drugs (Control, Enforcement and
Sanctions) Law, 1996 (PNDCL 236); unlawful importation of drugs contrary to
section 1 (1) of PNDCL 236; and possessing narcotic drug contrary to section
2(1) of PNDCL 236. They were first put before the Greater Accra Circuit
Tribunal but later the case was transferred to the Greater Accra Regional Tribunal
for trial. All the five accused persons were tried together, but the first and
fifth accused who had by then absconded were tried in absentia, and they were
convicted and sentenced.<o:p></o:p>