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HASSAN V

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estheryayraa
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700">
HASSAN v. THE STATE [1962] 2 GLR 150-154</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700">IN
THE SUPREME COURT</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700">30TH
NOVEMBER, 1962</span></p>
&nbsp;</td>
</tr>
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<td vAlign="top" align="left" width="761" height="1">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">ADUMUA-BOSSMAN, OLLENNU
AND BLAY, JJ.S.C.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">Criminal law and
procedureDefective chargeNo evidence of any
offencePrinciples to be applied on appealWhether
appellant should be put in double jeopardyCourts Act,
1960 (C.A. 9), s. 15 (1), (2) and s.16 (6).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">Criminal law and
procedureRe-trialProceedings null and voidFresh trial
must be on original chargeDistinction between defective
charge and want of jurisdiction.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">Judicial precedentWest
African Court of&nbsp; AppealCriminal mattersNot binding&nbsp;
on Supreme Court.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">HEADNOTES</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">By the Courts Act,
1960, s. 15 (1), it is provided that:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">15(1) The Supreme
Court on any appeal against conviction shall allow the
appeal if such court thinks that the verdict should be
set aside on the ground that it is unreasonable or
cannot be supported having regard to the evidence or
that the judgment of the Court before which the
appellant was convicted should be set aside on the
ground of a wrong decision on any question of law or
that on any ground there was a miscarriage of justice,
and in any other case shall dismiss the appeal.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">The appellant was found
in possession of Indian hemp on the 28th October, 1961.&nbsp;
He was convicted by the Circuit Court, Accra, on a
charge of possessing Indian hemp, contrary to the
Pharmacy and Drugs Act, 1961, ss. 47 (1) and 57.&nbsp; The
particulars of the offence read: </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">&quot;Fatayi Hassan on the
20th day of January, 1961, in Accra in the Eastern
Region was in possession of 800 grammes of Indian hemp.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">The Pharmacy and Drugs
Act, 1961, came into force on the 13th June, 1961, and
by section 47 (1) it provided that:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">47 (1) No person shall
have in his possession without lawful excuse (proof of
which shall be on him) any opium or Indian hemp which is
prepared for smoking or any residue from the smoking of
opium or Indian hemp.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">It was conceded by the
State that the wrong date was included in the
particulars, and that on the 28th October. 1961, mere
possession of Indian hemp was not an offence.&nbsp; Counsel
therefore submitted that the court should declare the
trial null and void and, on the authority of Okoro v.
Inspector-General of Police (1953) 14 W.A.C.A. 370,
order a re-trial. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">Held, allowing the
appeal: </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">(1) in criminal cases
the Supreme Court is not bound to follow decisions of
the West African Court of Appeal.&nbsp; Motayo v.
Commissioner of Police (1950) 14 W.A.C.A. 370, order a
re-trial.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">(2) A declaration that
criminal proceedings are null and void means that the
charge is good but the court that purported to try it
was void of jurisdiction.&nbsp; In such a case a re-trial can
be ordered but upon the original unamended charge.&nbsp; R.
v. Abaley (1958) 3 W.A.L.R. 463, C.A. approved.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">(3) Where the charge
discloses no offence but there is no material
irregularity in the proceedings which would render the
trial a mis-trial, the sentence, if not quashed on
appeal, is a good return to a writ of habeas corpus.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">(4) Where the charge
discloses no offence and the evidence does not show that
the appellant has committed any offence, the Courts Act,
1960, s. 15 (1) and (2) must be applied; the conviction
must be quashed and a verdict of acquittal be entered.&nbsp;
The appellant should not be put in double jeopardy upon
the same facts.&nbsp; Commissioner of Police v. Wenyonu
(1958) 3 W.A.L.R. 459, C.A. approved.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">[p.151]</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">CASES REFERRED TO</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">(1) Okoro v.
Inspector-General of Police (1953) 14 W.A.C.A. 370</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">(2) Motayo v.
Commissioner of Police (1950) 13 W.A.C.A. 114</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">(3) R. v. Waddington
(1800) 1 East 143; 102 E.R. 56</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">(4) Commissioner of
Police v. Wenyonu (1958) 3 W.A.L.R. 459, C.A.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">(5) R. v. Abaley (1958)
3 W.A.L.R. 463, C.A.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">NATURE OF PROCEEDINGS</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">APPEAL from the Circuit
Court, Accra.&nbsp; The appellant was convicted and sentenced
on a charge of possessing Indian hemp contrary to the
Pharmacy and Drugs Act, 1961, ss. 47 (1) and 57.&nbsp; The
facts are sufficiently set out in the judgment of
Ollennu, J.S.C.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">COUNSEL</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">Appellant in person.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">Annan, Senior State
Attorney, for the respondent.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">JUDGMENT OF OLLENNU
J.S.C.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">Ollennu J.S.C.
delivered the judgment of the court.&nbsp; The appellant was
convicted in the Circuit Court, Accra; the trial was
with the aid of assessors.&nbsp; The information charged him
with possessing Indian hemp contrary to sections 47 (1)
and 57 of the Pharmacy and Drugs Act, 1961.1 Particulars
of the offence were set out as follows: &quot;Fatayi Hassan
on the 20th day of January, 1961, in Accra in the
Eastern Region was in possession of 800 grammes of
Indian Hemp.&quot;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">Section 47 (1) of the
Pharmacy and Drugs Act, 1961, under which the charge is
laid reads:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">&quot;No person shall have
in his possession without lawful excuse (proof of which
shall be on him) any opium or Indian hemp which is
prepared for smoking or any residue from the smoking of
opium or Indian hemp.&quot;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">Section 57 prescribes
the punishment for an offence under the Act.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">Under the said section
47 (1) of the Act, possession of Indian hemp simpliciter
is no offence, it only becomes an offence if the Indian
hemp has been prepared for smoking or is any residue
from the smoking of Indian hemp.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">Before the 13th June,
1961, the date on which the Pharmacy and Drugs Act,
1961, came into force, mere possession of Indian hemp in
any form, was an offence; that was by virtue of section
12 (1) and (2) of the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance2 which
provided that:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">12 (1) No person shall
import into, or export from Ghana, or trade in, be in
possession of (except in transit), or produce the resin
obtained from, Indian hemp.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">(2) No person shall
cultivate, sell, purchase, or be in possession (except
in transit) of the whole or any portion of the plant
Cannabis sativa (excluding the medical preparations
thereof).&quot;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">The definition of
Indian hemp given in the ordinance is almost word for
word the same as the definition given in the Pharmacy
and Drugs Act, 1961.&nbsp; It is as follows:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial"> Indian hemp' means
the dried flowering or fruiting tops of the pestillate
plant cannabis sativa . . . from which the resin has not
been extracted, by whatever name such tops are called,
and includes resins obtained from such tops, all
preparations of which the resins form the base . . . </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">[p.152] </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">The Pharmacy and Drugs
Ordinance was repealed by section 63 of the Pharmacy and
Drugs Act, 1961.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">The charge alleged the
20th January, 1961, as the date on which the appellant
was found in possession of the Indian hemp.&nbsp; The
Interpretation Act, 1960,3 s. 8 (1) (d) provides that,
&quot;The repeal or revocation of an enactment shall not . .
. (d) affect any penalty, forfeiture or punishment
incurred in respect of any offence committed thereunder.&quot;
So that had the date on which the appellant was found
with the Indian hemp been the 20th January, 1961, as
stated in the charge, the mere possession at that date
would constitute an offence under the Dangerous Drugs
Ordinance and the appellant could properly have been
charged and convicted under that ordinance; in which
case the ordinance and the section thereof under which
he is charged should have been stated.&nbsp; The evidence
however showed that the date on which the appellant was
found in such possession of the Indian hemp was the 28th
October, 1961, at which date the only law in force in
the land regulating possession of Indian hemp was the
Pharmacy and Drugs Act, 1961.&nbsp; Therefore if any offence
was committed on that date by reason of the possession
of Indian hemp it could only be an offence under section
47 (1) of the Act.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">Three witnesses were
called for the prosecution; the evidence they gave is
concise and unambiguous.&nbsp; It is briefly that the
appellant was found with a cardbox, and was taken to the
police station on suspicion; when the cardbox was opened
it was found to contain &quot;a quantity of green leaves&quot; or
&quot;dried leaves&quot; which when chemically and microscopically
examined were found to be 800 grammes of Indian hemp.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">Learned state attorney
conceded that mere possession of Indian hemp is now not
an offence under our law and also that in so far as the
offence is under section 47 (1) of the Pharmacy and
Drugs Act, 1961, the charge, as it was laid in the
circuit court, and as it still stands, suffered from
want of sufficient certainty as it failed to give
particulars of the offence, and therefore sins against
the mandatory provisions of section 202 (2) of the
Criminal Procedure Code, 1960.4 Learned state attorney
therefore submitted that the trial is a nullity, and
invited the court so to declare it, and exercising the
powers given it by section 16 (5) of the Courts Act,
1960,5 order a re-trial as was done by the West African
Court of Appeal in the Nigerian case of Okoro v.
Inspector-General of Police.6</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">We do not agree with
this view.&nbsp; In the first place, although the West
African Court of Appeal is to some extent a predecessor
of this court, we feel that in a criminal case we are
not bound to follow any decision it gave: see Motayo v.
Commissioner of Police.7</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">In the second place, a
declaration that criminal proceedings are null and void
necessarily means that the charge is good but that the
court that purported to try it is void of jurisdiction.
Therefore a re-trail can be ordered to proceed upon the
very charge as it came before the appellate [p.153]
court, but not under any other charge.&nbsp; In the present
case the charges disclose no offence; but the appellant
was properly arraigned on it before a court of competent
jurisdiction, he pleaded to that charge, and trial
proceeded;&nbsp; there was no defect in the proceedings;
therefore the sentence upon himif not quashed on appeal
would be a good return to a writ of habeas corpus
brought in respect of imprisonment upon the said
sentence, it being a sentence passed upon an indictment
found against the appellant by a court of competent
jurisdiction.&nbsp; If the trial court had been void of
jurisdiction, the sentence would be illegal and cannot
be a good return to a writ of habeas corpus because the
conviction is void ab initio and does not create a
necessity for it to be set aside: it is void of effect.&nbsp;
Again, there is no material irregularity in the
proceedings as to make the trial amount to a mistrial
which, like absence of jurisdiction, would have
justified the exercise of the powers given to the court
by the Courts Act, 1960, s. 16 (5) to order a re-trial.&nbsp;
The charge was never amended, it remained bad up to the
determination of the appeal at which time it had become
too late to amend it.&nbsp; In such circumstances it will be
against all principles of justice for this court to
order a re-trial of the appellant upon an offence which
does not exist.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">This is the type of
case which, in art English court, a person may, at any
time between conviction and sentence, move the court in
arrest of judgment, or where if the prisoner omits to
make any motion himself in arrest of judgment, the court
will on its own motion arrest the judgment and quash the
conviction: see R. v. Waddington.8 Such a motion, says
Archbold:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">. . . can be grounded
only on some objection arising on the face of the record
itself; and no defect in the evidence, or irregularity
at the trial, can be urged at this stage of the
proceedings.&nbsp; But any want of sufficient certainty in
the indictment, as in the statement of time or place
(where material), of the person against whom the offence
was committed, or of the facts and circumstances
constituting the offence, or otherwise, which has not
been amended during the trial, and is not aided by the
verdict, will be a ground for arresting the judgment.&quot;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">Archbold (35th ed.), p.
222, para. 612.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">We also directed our
attention to section 16 (6) of the Courts Act, 1960,
which says:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">&quot;(6) If the Supreme
Court is satisfied that the circumstances of the case
are exceptional and that in the interests of justice
there should be a re-trial such Court may order a
re-trial upon such terms and conditions as it may think
fit.&quot;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">Now what are the
circumstances of this case? The proceedings began in the
district court upon preliminary hearing; the learned
presiding district magistrate held that there was a case
to answer and committed the appellant for trial to the
circuit court.&nbsp; The information was drafted in the
Attorney-General's Department in terms the
Attorney-General considered suitable, and were signed by
an assistant state attorney and the prosecution in the
circuit court was conducted by a state attorney; the
prosecution had [p.154] it in their power to amend the
information but did not.&nbsp; Unlike the respondent, the
appellant, an illiterate, has had no legal aid
throughout.&nbsp; What the interest of justice should require
in such circumstances is that the illiterate appellant
should not be put in jeopardy again upon the same
facts.&nbsp; It is clear that there are no circumstances in
this case which can be said to be so exceptional as to
justify the court exercising its special powers under
section 16 (6) of the Courts Act, 1960, to order a
re-trial.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">Since the charge
disclosed no offence and since the evidence too did not
prove that the appellant has committed any offence the
principle to be applied to the case is the one laid down
in section 15 (1) and (2) of the Courts Act, 1960, which
are as follows:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">&quot;15 (1) The Supreme
Court on any appeal against conviction shall allow the
appeal if such court thinks that the verdict should be
set aside on the ground that it is unreasonable or
cannot be supported having regard to the evidence or
that the judgment of the Court before which the
appellant was convicted should be set aside on the
ground of a wrong decision of any question of law or
that on any ground there was miscarriage of justice, and
in any other case shall dismiss the appeal:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">Provided that the Court
may, notwithstanding that the Court is of opinion that
the point raised in the appeal might be decided in
favour of the applicant, dismiss the appeal if it
considers that no substantial miscarriage of justice has
actually occurred.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">&nbsp;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">(2) Subject to the
provisions of this Act, the Supreme Court shall, if such
Court allows an appeal against conviction, quash the
conviction and direct a judgment and verdict of
acquittal to be entered.&quot;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">In this respect we feel
happy to associate ourselves with the Court of Appeal in
their judgments in Commissioner of Police v. Wenyonu9
and R. v. Abaley.10</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">For these reasons we
allow the appeal, quash the conviction and direct a
judgment and verdict of acquittal to be entered.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">DECISION</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">Appeal allowed.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">Appellant acquitted and
discharged.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">J. D.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">FOOTNOTES</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">1 Act 64.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">2 Cap. 73 (1951 Rev.).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">3 C.A. 4.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">4 Act 30.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">5 C.A. 9.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">6 (1953) 14 W.A.C.A.
370.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">7 (1950) 13 W.A.C.A.
114.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">8 (1800) 1 East 143;
102 E.R. 56.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">9 (1958) 3 W.A.L.R.
459, C.A.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial">10 (1958) 3 W.A.L.R.
463, C.A.</span></p>
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