19890131 TZHC Tanga

IN TII:J ITIGII .COURT OF TA1'1-Yu~IA AT TJi.lJGAo lil"PELLATE Jti1IISDICTI011 nm COURT ·cr,.IKINil.1 APPillJ: ro;.:.6(} OF· '1981 ORIGDrJJJ CRD'.II:!J: C.-.'.iS:C l':O. 228 OF 198'5 OF TIE DISTRICT COullT or· TJTGL :DI0TIU:C'l1 AT Ti.NGA :BEF'OP,.J; 1J oJ o }r{Af!iJ',j:JAGi'J:'J.. , ~~SQ.~ SE:NIOR llli3 .MAGISTR:,.TD (JJ1ARI MOE.f'.JvLlfDI · • • ., • • ., • o ., ., • ., o • ~ ••• o • • • ., • • Al'PEI..LA:NT (ORG. ACCUSDD) vers'Ul3 · THE BZ:PUilLIC o • •• • • • ., ., o o • • • • • • • • .. • • • • • • • RDSPOlT.Dil}lT (ORG. PRos:;curOR) JUDGE NE H ~. '. SISYJ:. Ja-· The appellant nas convicted by the leernec~ /Senior Resid.ent Magistrate, Tango,, of' ·tll_c offence of O'ots.ining money by false J)!'Otencas contrary to section 302 of the Penal Code cmC:. he 1ro,is sentenced. to three years imprismm1011t. Ile is l10W a.ppe,ai.ing. The facts ulrich tho learned. SEinior RcsicLont Jl/lu.&,i.strate found establisLeo. ai:id actec';. Ul)O?'l show th2,t tr..e r,pi::cllc,nt is thG nephew i.;.t• one Mwinchumu Ibr.:hl.m, Pi,·)'I in tho case. Sometime in 1977 th0 said lhdnchumu Ibrahim a. resident of Pc·.ng;:.ni, askod. tho ~1r,:t_.;0lle,n-c to find anc:'.. bGf a hous0 for him horo in Tc,ngaj This was dl'.u:Je and Fi!I entrusted cash, sha .. 30,000/=, to the appe lJ;:mt fm.' tho :-i,,u:r1Jos0 o ::Wentu.2,lly, tl1e house was bought ancl the right of occu:p2.ncy over the plot upon which it stood was c1.uly trc-,nsfG:rcd. to P\Uo The :relevant transfer deed, Dxh.PI, shows th.at the seller of ~he house was one Victor Ramadhani .(Dll oI) o,nd th0 transfer was duly ap:prmred. by the Imld Offioor. PfTI continued to rosido at Pa:ngv.ni. lli.s son, Jumbe Mwinohumu (Pfi5). and sano te1,a,nts lmro, howcvor,, stL,yin,g i11 tho hou.se u.n<:er quorry. Sanctimo in mid 1981 tho appellant sold tho SC.Ille houso to one Halifo. Rn.mud (Pii2) ~d thout tho knowloclgo and/ or conoont of PIU, or bis son, PV5. A tro,nsfor deed (J?5) wo.s cluly o::::ecutod. and. the • pur:portoo. sale wa,s roduood to writing (P4) • t. - 2 - In his d0fence ct tho tri::'J,. the e,ppoll2.nt contonc..ccl trot the . house under quer:ry was lus own and th,.• t ho ~) 01..1.cLt it from one Victor &ma,clb£,ni. (DE .. I). In support of l:,j_EJ ccJJo t~ ..o e,:;,·,:Qolk.nt proclu.oed ' . transfer deeds in :ro::,poct of tb.0 plot on 1:·hich tho hOW:l0 in qu0stion .. now stands fran Victor· B.i.".ri1c(:JJ::1,rtl to bin:sol:f c~nd f1~om himself to the ocinplnina.nt in the oos0 c.ncl scrn0 'receipts' issuocJ. by Victor Re.mc::.dhr.mi (DW 2). ·The appell..,.nt also c..:.llcd. Victor Rc1:1c.t'.J:lo,n:i. (Dl: .2) as a witness ·on his side. Dl:2 testified tho.t ho trcnsferrod ,, <1ll his rights avo._r tho plot in question to the •o tho appollr-nt in 1979• Evidonco wt•..s given by the _'fu,ng.:,, Municipcl .Douncil Lo.l'ld Officer, one Abdi Shemnc1olwn (Pt:3) tba t the only traJ.Sior of tho right of occupanoy over the plot in question which is :refloct0d in tho offioial records wcs tho one from Victor Remadh·:mi to Kdnchumu Toro.him (PU I)~ The pUJ:'l'.)orted transfers from Victor fu..rnadh:.:.ni to tho appollcnt and :fl-an the o.ppGllc.nt to tho oom:plci.m.nt (P5) w0,s not recorded in tho official rccards. Shomndolwa's evidence uc.s not ch,.~ll0%<T0d or i cont:ro.dict0d an tbir.: :point& In his juo. gemont, tho 10a.rn0cl Soro.or nccic'..cnt N.:...gistr2,to 'Was s;:,,tisficd th...,t all tho documents :proclucoc1 by tho t . p:pcllc.nt in support of bis ocse wore fo.k.o a.nd ho d5.n:rogo.rd<?c1. them r..coo:rding;ly. · me, . In n:t'gui:ng out this 0,pp02.l boforo /tho !JJ2,Xr1cd Counsel far :gbo appellant, Mr. kvutc. 1 contended tbL-:,t there is no conolusive · evidenoo to sh_6w th.:.t tho houso in question tolonuO'f! to F:·r, :pm-ticulnrly so wlu:ln tho o.llogoc. sollor, Victor lbmc..clharp., wr..s not cn.llocl as e wi tress on tho Prosooution sido. On this lc.ttcr point all I ron say is that it is. a .mcttc:r on which docmonto...ry ovidonco (PI) na.s produoea., and ·cn.oe a.droi tted it is n point on which tho · relcv::·,nt clocumcnt (PI) speal.B for itself. 'llho learned Counsel for the appollo.nt: crGU0d further tk,t there wo.s no rec.son why tho clocmontm-y ovid.cnco 1'.)roduc0d lJy his oliont was not 2.ccoptec:.. In other words, 2.:rguod Mr o IC2,vu.t2,, th:ls amountod to fciluro to consider tho dofoncc ccsc. ' - 3 -- The loc.rnoct St..'1to J. .ttorney, I(j_ss Cbi11guwilo; did not seolt to su;pport tho cOl'+Viotion. According to b.01~ the matter ·wt.a mo:ro of c 'oivil' nr.tm·o tbc~11 or:iJnin,;1.l boct.t'!EO tbo icsuo o:f 01:nol'Sbip of tho house ht,tl not boon resolved. With the groo.tost rospoct to both loro-nod counsel o.nc!. tho lofl.rnoc1 Stn.to attorney, once tho Prooccution wi tnossos n.ro believed, cu:~ tho loo.med Senior nosillont Mccistr.::,tc did, thon thorc romninn no rQ,.)JTJ for dou:bt th:::. t tho a:ppolL~nt was n.ctinc frt,udulontly. lie wc.s the porson i.-ho wo.c c.slmcl to, encl .infect diet, bey tho house uncler g_tv1--:ry o;:: bob.elf of PWio It is, to my mine., v-ory p0ril10trl:i to note thr~t tW.s i8 not a c2,so of double o.llocc, ti on of plots~ It :i.s '-' er.so of a singlo ind:i:vidw.l .dishonestly t1~yixig to j_)l2-y c 11112,l role• The leo.rnod Somor Rcsido11t rilc·{_;i8txc..to hr,cl tho grout a.c.1:vn.ntn.go o:f so0i11g_. n.nd obso1-vinc the wi tricssos j_n the ·d tnoss box. On my p::.rt,. I cc.nnot sc,y thc..t ho c..,,Jt'!f:JOG... t_ru::.t aclvc.ntc..g,u. Once tho evicl.once of Shomndol1ra. is 2.coc:ptot~ tho11, :i.ndocD.., tho:ro cr,:n 1Jo no doubt th:d t!Js nppell0nts documcnto in relation to tho plot end house in question ro:-o fcl~. That being so (encl. I o.groo 1,i th tho loc.rnocL Senior Rcsid.cnt 1'1.:-.r..,istrr..to thc..t it is) ... then thoro cm1 be no cloul)t tret tho c.ppell.D. nt ;k)lly. wo 11 know tb...1, t tho hOtWo unclcr quarry w2.s B£.l his own c..nd by :purportine to clis:;ioso it off for c, 00Y1..sic"'...orot~.on tho o.ppollrmt c,cted fc.lsoly end. :f':t'a.ti.dulontly. Tho conviction ts Gou:nd in lmr 2.nt tho SDJn0 is heroby uphold. i As rogr,1·ds sontonco, I think tho o..ppc 112. :nt dosorvoc: it• IJ:f.s W'n<', ru.1 net of commis8ion 11ld.ch olor..rly :i..mrolvo{;_ })ron0clitc.tion. Ho oven 'tm:·:r f'urthcr r..nd frntaoC:. fc,lso c"i.octu:1c;nts • r-oc;ul t this .:-,ppc::.l f0:i.lo :·.m: it is . -JJ l 4 • (rrJef.D.·~ JUDG:ill • ocl in open Court c.t - Prcscnta .