19780815 TZHC Dodoma1

I_N THE HIGH COURT OF AT DODOMA f" r~ I ·~T ' .. ,l~.4•J;:r..k-,-~,. /1/c APPE·: ,Li',TE.JURISbICTION HIGH COURT CRII1IN,\L QXPP•:,\L Nao 253 OF 1977 ORIGIN,".L CRIMINAL CASE Noo 8 OF 1977 OF 'I';;'_:: DISTRICT COURT OF SINGIDi\ AT SINGID/\.) BEFORE: L Ho M. MAGES SA == "o o o RESIDEIJ'I' ..--.GIS'IRJ.TE AMIR R,\M.·J)H1\NI MK,d'.JDJ\ o o o i,PP;:;LL. .NT THE REPUBLIC o o o o o· o 'o o o o o o RBS~ Oi·-;,.;ENT .£1:hf<GE: St.,aling by 1ublic servant c/ss 265 and 270 of th,, P,.m.:c,J. Cod..J. JUDGMENT .9:9~£E'rA,. JD Th-e ah_:·:; llant 7 Amir Rar:: :tdhani Mk3.ndai was convictC::d o.f t;, . c 'f me~ of steali_ng by ·, uhlic s.:rvant c/ss 2 70 and 265 of· th,~ Pinal Code, and was s.::nt,,,nc-d to three ( 3) Y· •ars irn1,ri~;onment under th2 Mini·mum S .mt1:1nC.:.'S Act, 1972 o H,= now a, l),'. also Th,, ros~:cution adduc,-!d th,: followin<J •~vidt~ncv~: in March, -1976, ··ch:., o.: •~ .....:llant was a Su1:-Jerinb:ndent of ·Police a,:cl ·.Jas sL1tiun ·d .at Ki,:,ITLboi as O::.':ficer Cornman ling District (O.Co De).; In such ca.;,ar.i:ity th"~ a •;,~lli.mt 1-i.:1's resr.onsibl~ for k-:>c1,inq' .,~xhibits monies in th· safci, 1.ayincj ,)ut- sc1lari~s and allowanc,:s to 1,olic•: ·of::"ic,;~rs und<~r his charge an.I- colL,cting r .:v,mu,= ..from sal'2 of fir'--' arms lie, ·nces and µermi t-s for sal,~ ':;.. t~ansf.~r 9£ fire arms o As rE~g a.i;:-ds th! "'xl{i.bi t money, th(:= procedure was th0t th(·; a.:~: :,llant, QS OoCoD ... would r<.:!C ,ivc th-· f!Xhibit mon,~y ,-::itk-,r from t;-~,, charg•2 room o:::.:C::~ic~ or the criminal invc,sttigations dtUH.rtm,c.nto On n~.:::,:2i,.t q': this mon;.;y, thF~ .:i, ~:-2llant .would enter th~ mon :y ·•in 3. regi::;·,:er ket,t for {h;:2 1,,ur 1.,ose, si<Jn th .c:in for·•r '.C·,ii..t of'' th ➔ moh,2y 7 ent,:r it in a safe~ r'-'rJist,:~r and -c:h:,n k,'-:~::; i t in th," safeo · Each timi~ an o fio~r requirc!d a , articular mon,.;y ,:xhibit h..c wc.1u1,·, go to th,, a., ell ant who v,Jduld give him th•: mc•:1.ey in questiono Th8 app,.llant would th··n obtain th, signature of th: offic-•r in th,: ,~xhil:ii t rs2~;i:;ter, ,.J.'1~: an· a;;i.ro 1Jria_te ent.i:-y m;ci.de in th~, safe .~dJistero On 10/3/76·, the Rvgional polio'. Comm0.'1der, · SinqiJa R..~gion (Pi·,.13) rcc,.::i ved an ordt2r from th-, Insi,·,ctor-Gent:iral of Polio-) that th" a ,.•.:llant should :v,roc,""'"d on transfer to T2t1t)ao On 15/3/76 1 Pwo 13 dis1-atch•id Ont, Gaspar, unoth-~r [JOliCt: o_;'ficer, to go 2md ta. 1<:c: ov,,r from th, a 1 ellant at Kiomboio For som~ unknown reasons: th•2 a.::, ~11.J.rit c,id not hanci over to th,i said Gasµaro So on f8/3/76, Pwo13 sent his R,;;si<.,nal C.rime Offic.·ir (Pw. 9) to Kiomboi to go and supervise ti-i,,• handin~r ov:.T b ,CWE·:,:n th,: a;_,;... ,~11ant: and .th•· said Gasparo· That •;V•..:nin<J· P\vo9 t-roc .'.;cl<.:d to Kiomboi, and on 19/3/76, he instructed_ .':he. appellant to 1,r,-1;_ ~1rc, ;:L ;,:1ndin 1J over c-:,;rtificate so as to ha.ncl over: to Gasparo Howev,~r, b·.sfore hc.1n Jing ov,-)r to Gas1.,ar,. tht~ a; j.Je·'_l.3.nt ciisa 1-).-'l~o.r,~,d from Kiomboi on 20/3/76 ,. and so Pw a 9 ha_d to r,.c turn to Sin .,ida without ,:iff;!cting the~ hin,l'ing_ OVP.ro A dcisertr,~r fL'....:; was th•:n oµe·n,,~d in r ;S~ ct o:;:=· th>cc a ;ellan'.t; and all polio.: sta.tioris in, TaUZd11id w,':!re notL:i x1 of· ch: disapi-,~aranc ~- of the au>e_l1ant frorr. Kiomboi: · On 24/3/76, "the R,!gional Poli.:: .., Comm,1.nder (-Pw.·13) went to Kior,iboi on an insp•"ction tour o On checkinr; th,, accounts of l{iomboi Polic::i station, Pwo13 discoven~d thut ,,xh:bit mon,~y to~ 1llinrJ shs. 1, 755/90 for r.:.,cui 1. t of which th,, a,, 1;,,llant had sicin,,d :i..n tr,:! c..:Xhibi t n,gist:-1rs, h,,_,l not b~en enter:d int~ safe regist2ro 0000002 2 Th2.t made Pw o 13 SUSj,.:ct that th,) money ha.ct b -~n stoleno AS the ilj;.ip:.;ll ant h::tn by th""n absconded, Pwo13 St~al.'~d off th:~ dPPellant's offic.~ :1n<l 01:·ch:,red th,1t it renw.in under constant guard until th,~ a · ellant cam::,. Later a m,2ss JJ,.:: was rec(~ived from Taneja 'that: th,, a. 1 ,e.·,.1ant was at Tang a polic,, stationo Pw. 13 ·then ordered that th,~ a,, ,,llant should proc,~.,d to Kiomboi ..md .h1:md over th' st~tion to th~~· in-com.:. .1q o. c. D one: '.furnbn 0 , (P\vo11)o # Th-.: a1;1.,~lL:mt Wt:nt to Kiumboi and on 10/4/76, he han::'.ed ov2r U1.: sto.tion to Pw.1io Present at that handing uvi:;r w-~re Pw.9, ,a s-curity offict:r (Pw.10), Pwo11, Pw.13, and one Al:.=ck Noah M\~ak:'atundu (Pw.12) who Wi.1S th.:, uffic-~r in-charge of Kic,mboi .1,iolic,~ s_tation at th"· .m,~t~riul timeo Since th· rlocum.:nts and moni0.s kq,t by. the a. pc:llant w~r--: in th. sc.fe, . the a;,1.Je lant had to open th•: saf2 o When :isk•:d to do; t:.h · i\_,~,,.:,lL.J.nt said that h:.~ did not hilVE:.thc~ k,~y to.th,i safea AskJd wh r,~ it wo.s, h,:; said that it was ,,i th his wife who was at Bukoba. Pw. 13 th~n tolJ him--.. · thc1.t in that case: the a 1,j,ellant woulcl ....b.t~--e..s:cort~~d to Bukoba to brinu th,~ s,3.id key. Th,-,r.~uron, th,-, a, -E!ll ant 1iroduced the k'=Y from hi:; p,.:rs<::>n and 0i'):c::ned thc! saf,~ O • ··---•· .. • ·:T on. chPckin<J th-,:- contents ·of '.:h,: safe, slis.· 7,967/20 wa.s found missing, but for the purpos-:; of thi"s a1j·p,~a'_, w~ ·shall conc'-'!rn ours:,,il:vc::s v,ith shso 1, 755/90 out of that mor.ey which \Jas ,~xhibit moni,::s and which is the amount . . on which -::h \ . . ! convic-:ion was founded. When .:1sk ~d to c1cc.e:~nt for this short_a<J=,~, :'th.: .;a,·.•.·;_,.'llant m.~r..,ly said that he should be given ·l:im~· to r, fund thi·:,·monc-,iy•and r,,qu:Jsb-:::1 P;·J.13 to give him permiss.i.on to go to D'Sal:iam to :s:;,,,i th,; Insp.-,,ctor-G-m.::rnl of folice in order to. discusss wi t-1, him how. to refund th,.: mon,-,'!y. In his defonce, the a: 1 .ellant said th.:i.t during the m ,terio.l p.±riod he was very ·busy with "Operat,i,on Barabaig1t: and so h:: handed ov.=~r th,:: •.!xhibit monies t.? som,~ , ·erson·· wh·o was t:akin<y char~~· of th,: station. in J::.110 absence uf th~" .a:-i,;e lL.mt. In a carefully n:asoned judgm_e:1t, the 1,~arn,~d tri.,l r~,si,ient .;. ma<Jistrate reject8d tht:1 appellant's story :1s a 11 bi<J lie" ahd :.1cc:·:pb:d· th.: 1,ros ·cution I s evidence from which he inferred thut th,~ u~,i..klLmt ho.d converted th,~ money to his own use . :;nd so convicted him ns chareJed. , Mro Mb~~zi, l,~urn-:d,·co.i'.msel for th,-.! _a,,:jellant:, argusd th--?. an),;cll on two grounds, namely:-, 1. That the l.~arn,•d tria:. r~agi~--::rate erred in not b;:~ lieving. that a~n-,llani.' :1ad h,mded ov,:ir th: exhibit monuy to :.n.oth~r :)Olice off.i.c<Jro ~ 2 0 Th:: l,2,3.rn•~d tri.11 mng:.stri3.te erred in hol::ing th,,t th.: clJ•Pt=ll ~nt h~c:- stol':-!n the exhibit moneyo on my own vL~w of th;:' evidenc~, I am ··=ar ·:rrom persu·adcid thc1t th," a.i,:- 1,0llunt' s st,..)ry could r Jason ably :.ie true fun the circumstilllc:?s of this co.sea Th'~ a.;1:,~llo.nt was a senior polic~ :Q::ficc~r. Although he S:11t,..:r~;d thr..: exhibit moni,,s in thv, exhibit nqister and sirJn•_sd fur receipt of thctt money h_e did not enter the monies in thP. safe register. 13esid~s, nowh_•r;_! is it shown that he h,:mdP.d O"•~r th i mon,-:y to arr.~, p,-:rson. Then th~r•.~ · is his conduct before~, durinq ..:nd · after the han<.~ing 0V-..!ro Why did he hr1ve to li•! that h-i. did not Lav,?, the key' to th_, saf~i'? Why did he not thc'r,~ and then say to whom h h;id handed over the 0 ., money and in what manner? Why was ht:! so reluc-:ant to h m:l ov'-C!r the station wh~n told to do so? / 3 ,::.i- In all tht:! ci:cums::anc,~s, th.~refore, I am n~spectfully 2.t one with th: L,~rned ma']istrate that th-, inference th-.it the a~-i•ellant n.,,ver ga,·e that money to any ,)th-:~r officer ,.md that he converted it to his own use wus inescapable. For th forego:.nrJ r;:,asons, I 0, SP.e no reason to justify ,m interference with th':! conviction. As to th~ senter:c(~, it was the minimum prescribed by st.,tute. It is, th1.~r--!fore, to stand. In fine, this aJnc,3.l is dismi•;st'!d in its entirety. Deliven-:!d in opm court at Dodoma this 15th day of August, 1978.