19881218 TZCA Dar es Salaam

~ '. 11 N D THE IlliTu".BLIC • • RI:.SFO!JDLNT \ ( Apoeal from the :•Jnvictions :,;1d s1:intences of the Hi,7,h Court of Tanzanin ·at Mwanza) ( rfoehi, J. ) Da-t~<l---tho 16th d:J.V of--&aJ?·::·o;nber 1 198] JU;)(ll(JLNT OF T ffi:. COURT This is a S,;Jconcl ::.ppeal by the t;.-10 ar,pull3nts 1 .!\NTHONY JOffif '.lnd JObil'H BWIRE, who W!r,:i convictod b;l Byabusha, sm.i, in the District Court of M·,nnM, in tho c:i~ J ')"" :::·:wire• for Giving fi1luo information, Falso Swonring and :::tnlin::; zood.s in transit, in the casa of the·a~ellant J1.1Jhn fo.r Sto,·.'.,.i:~.:· gooc1.s in transit,.; Bwire got n substai1tivo jail: term of fo~u- y·:,srs while tho ':lppellant John was givon throe yc,qrs. 0,: ,?.t>funl to the Eigh Court before M".lBhi, /• the· decision of th:.. tri::il was lE:ft f. intc1ct except th;:i convict, ion for Stcali:1,~ gc,ods in transit -I.----· was substituted for by ;:i conviction for Q°(J,,;aining gooc'.s by false I prot.oc.oee; The tri11l was a long stor-J but fo:i:- tb.e purposes of determining thU appeal it may be sum:.1arisod au follows:- .•... /2 • . .. · ' ;• ~: ;,.!~ ~:;,-..~-: ~ ~, ., . 2 P. ';{. l SAIDI YUSUF 1nd r. ',U2 were oper,:1ting as 'C':;irtners in the business of selling building ma~cricls at Musoma •. .Among the things they sold wcs cement. 1986 F. W, 12 went to the v-:- cement f.3ctory in Tan~e, t0 purchasei <lc!·,rn c.:rncnt. He

bought /' four hundred bags ar~_inst a rocipt, :2,'xlrihit 11, and left th.:i cement at a go down in Tang:,. own.:i d b,y .:in Indian. In August 1986 P. W. l wont to Tanga and con2i5nc,d them to Musoma in his. own nnm9, Sc1id Yusuf, Hr··,:_·,cr, he docl"lrcd only two hundred b':lgl:l 1 the idea boinc~ the:·: he, would pay fur 'the carriago of the othGr twe> hL'.n(roo. bags, plus penalty, at the othGr end. In October that yonr ·;10 wont to Mwanza port to enquire after his c,imont. Ho ;,,as tol cl that somcono else hqd offloaded and tc1ken ,'.:lway th,3 C(..m,,nt on production of som·3 documGnts. ·Encruirios trac•Jd tho cement to 3 store ownc,d by _P. W. ;3_ !,\MLS Hi;JDK::No. ?... 3.-3 con:'irm( d this in court but said the b,.gs he bought w0.rc only t'.::::::c hundr:-:d and eighty, ::it "'· ·1' shs. 45'::J/- pQr bag, and not four hunc'.r..:c:. o:· t,10 hundred.. 1·· ;'' Thora was Pros.Jcution evidonc-:i ·u;'.-- 1:1 number of witnesses, ,,i •I including P. W. 2 P.HNETO MUKi'.M;', and P, ;,i, Ll. F. C. U:'TICIA, and f .'! : P. ,,;. 6 Sgt. HAWA, to the offoct th'3t t:i..: :1pfcllant Bwire rod ! re-ported tho loss oi' l1in Rrdlwoys roc-:,ip·~ for com,~nt 1nd ·1 other documents. Ho went through the (rill oi' getting other ,1 .I .. docwnonts until cveintually ho was Jble 0 ~c cl.:ur the comcnt 'l,. . Ii:·· from Mwanz.'3 port. r. 1·i. 2 told the tri:;l coL;_rt that. P. \-/. l

L:ii;i:)r tlI!'nod up, with some d.ocu.ionts, S.':!yin,-; -·~:1.:.:-t h,, hP.d come to collect his cemont from Tanga. Ess enti~lly Bwirc c,id not deny hc,vin,~ taken the various .1 indeed his, h:iving bou.zht and consi,:;:,:;d. it in tho name of Sciicli Yus1.1.fu whose trading lic~ncc ho wcis :i.u:.115. The cement was • . . ..• /3 two hundr'cld b3.gs not !:our hundr,,d, Jnci. -~;'lat the · -wagon , usc,d could not possibl;r h,•.vo carri:i:l ,'.12 ;;1r::ny c1s four hundrod bags as its maximum c.c,pacity was 220 D::c's. Ea duly cloarcd. his cement, aftor ho had got o·~h.:r cioouments . \ br,isio'3lly as alleg:Jd1 as tho noc0ssar~r ,_;_ocwr,0nte had got lost when ill, w:is st'.1ying at an hot-al in··., :;;rn. He did sell -t-h.e. cpm-,nt, two hundred. bags to t. i-I, 3. 'rhcr:.: 1•1ae no ship to carry the oom0nt from Mwanza to Musoma so he l1i:c, to offload it in Mwanza. In ~a defonoo the appellant J0hn c1.icl not deny hcilping J3wiro to cl,pr tho oom,:,nt nnd facili·:·:.tine: its sal\'.I to r. W. 3, He rui.d been ~pproaohod u,y :1 mnn C'Jllorl lb1'.1,ua (whl) w~a • · (..._ co-charged with them but got acquitt.:id) ;;:id Bwire. 'j ·· j l !1s aforos~id, tho appellants' app:,.:-:ls to the High Court were unsucc~esful, Moshi, J. boin,-:; satisfied that tho issues were f:::ictual and tr"' ro was no t:o()r.1_ rc,aeon for him to interfere. J3efore us the ar,pollants conduc·;:;t ti"!,,ir

ar,p~als i. I ' rersonally. Mr. Bila:c0 '-lfponn,d on bch,.:::.:::· of tho r'.'Spcndent l .. I ~ '1 ; and-· -~-declined to surport John's conviction. He howevor sui'ported the conviction in reEpcct o:i '~lw 2.prcllant Bwirc. Ordin::irily cf course this court ,1ould not intt.rfl'lrc with the concurront findings of f:,ct of a trial court ':!nd th1,1 ijigh Court. ,Tho few oxcoptional r;i·tur..tiona in which wo can intorforo inclu,ie ;,.netE1ncos in uh:Lch th( courts bo1ow ·;..r, ··: ·'l appear to havo ovorlcokoc to t::-:ko into ::wcr,unt certain aepacts ~l · of the evidence which in oi;r view woulc: h"IVO led to different 'i .J conclusions had those portiot1s of the cvicl;;;ncEJ being considor<:·d "lnd analysed. W,~. arc rcspcctfu.lly of ~h,.. view that this is one such case. J3wiro haz given hie EirJ.::: of the• story, th3.t tha . .I . '. ·~- ·~-~:~i . ·,._1 ,. ' .:-,I 4 - ·:: cement wae really his. We ·,;arn ou1•.a:1J.·.::::: "..h;,t h(;)ro, on oith:3r side, we aro (1.u1;.1ling with indivj.,_:1.,nl1;J who moy not be all th.'3t etr:;iight for,-mrd and truthful. Wc, have r. W. l and P. WJ.2, · tho compbinante who, Wh'3tGV.\::' thdr ~xplanation, were, going to ch-:rnt Railways of thJi:!.' i-::·.:Utc'S by d,,·claring fowar bags than thoy say they :,ictu~lly con:-1ign;,d. Indeed evc-n wh.Gn '.F. W. 1 pres-:intcd his ptipors ...:-':. -~;-..c rort he said he h13d come to clesr hio two

hli.ndre1 b::;:;s. Only whon ho w::1s told that the oomont h.:1d been collectoC:. b:,· somebody olSEi did he disclose that it was in f<1ct four hun<.lr·.:,d. bags. r. W. l .lnd r. W.12 are the samo shady charactGre ,1~10 rushe;cl to obtain Exhibit r.16 1 an extr~1ct from the Rcgio·~::.-~1· of Business •Names to prop up thvir clai:11 that thoy w-:ire op~r'.".tine; as a partnorship. But thon the dato of rc.gietration was l"it\ Octob<:r 1 1986 1 a day afto:r tho 31:-pcllants h11d boon ·h~k.:i,1 to court, But <ilVon moro, thJ witness Ch::rngwo, oM of thu po.rtno:s, cnteg,::,rically told th., court of trial thd he h':ld left th..) coniunt in Tanga. The .,I Railway~ consignment note however contr.:::c1icts him 1.nd appears 1. r, to support J3wiro's contention. l.ccord.i::.:; to th_-, noto, the cement was oonsigna:i from rongwo 1 of which wo tako judicial notice th?_t_j._i is tho r::1.ilway station ncui•.;st to th(: comont facto~ 1:1nd not from, Tonga which is f:-:rth.::.r away fTom Mw:rnza. ',-ley should P. W. l t'lkv the troublu ,ncl i:1cur th(' unnocc-sa~u-y k. oxpen.110 of t,;iking b.'1ck thE cement from -~;,.c etorc in Tanga, i. f . to r-ongl(e 1 presuma.bly by r0c1d, so .-i.s -to consign it to Musoma? ! I I J3wire sa:,~ he consigr.od the cemflnt fro111 _:.:_onvwe, and th,.,t thoy · :tend to sun,riort him. ,. ' ... ,. .. · ; .. . ...... .... • . . L.. 7F r: ... ; .•,

..i,......,.. .:/r.(-~\ .' . -..... ~. .1- : \ 1;_,; _..,..,..,._. ·~~-'!-- 5 :/J"·Jt( :·.J!4:.-,·.-: ~f~ ·.. ~' ~1_:,, I:t is conceiv'lble that F.H.1 1 P.l·i.12 -~nd Bwire wcro all crooks .in the 'lffair and that eucl-; 1·12s trying to r,ull I -a fast one on the othor. This was -~ crir,1inal trial 1:1nd in -.;,. -~· viow of what we hav;;i s.:-,id, w0 aro unablo tc, sustain th(;! -~~:·· 'J ~.--' finding that tho ap!)Oll3nts 1 guilt h;id b.:..:in established beyond .} .. ;? ; roasonablo dou.bt. WCJ allow those a-pru3l:.:: 1 riuosh thQ nqnviotiona ...... r ;.· . ~- and sot aside th<1 sentences.. If tho ar,i,c:..lants ::ire not otherwise in lawful custody they should be f:<;;t :fro() for-thwi-t.h. Who~)vor has cl::,ims on the ccmant er on the 01.onioa .-tho eu.bject matter of tho trial court ord.ci s, anc:. tho claims 0 aro resisted by aey pore on among P. W. 1~ P. il.12, !. lcl. 3 and Bwiro, h~ should seek to recover th~ sam<1 by wa,'.' of civil acti~ D.\TI!;D at M'.f!.NZi", this llt,h dny of Docombor, 1988. F. L. :1:f.\11.LI 9HIEF JUST I CE. L. l>I. lii.Ki.till!: ....."' JUST IC:.:: CI' Atr. EH · ...._ t.. --- ~- -.\. l,1. ,.. 011 ;1. R JUGTI CE Ct' MtLl~L td--- ;;I) •·':' ......-.., _.,._ ,,-,t: •'flt: . ( J, If. EJOFFL) 81:NIOR :··:m:::cyy RlGISTRJ\R ,·. . •. . . ?- • ~- - . ; '--:.~tt .... - .· .. . ,t . . ,i ,· ~ • ~":}J1 it,, J,r