19861001 TZHC Dar es Salaam

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IN THE HIGH COURT OF TANZANIA " AT DAR ES SALAAM '

APPELLATE JURISDICTION HIGH COURT CRIMINAL APPEAL NO. 53/86 ORIGINAL CRIMINAL CASE NO. 30.7 O_F 198~ OF THE D+STRJ.CT COURT OF ILALit DISTRICT AT K!SUTU Before Massa~che - Pr.· Reside-t Magistrate MOHAMED HARBI ALLY ) MOHlADIN ISMAIL MUSSE) • • • • • ~ • o . • • • • • • • . ;,'; • • • • o • • • APPELLANTS (original Accused) vei:sus THE UNITED REPUBLIC • o., o • • o • • • •. : • • • • . o • • o • • ; . , -o o o • • • • • •.RESPONDENT (ortg1~al Prosecutor) ' -

JUDGMENT MAt'IGANO, J • -·· The t~o appellarts··are dissatisf:l.ed with the ., decisfo-n of the leat'-ed"pri -c:tpal ~es ide.-t magistrate at Kistltu, col"'l- victi-n~ them of bei-g 1-::- possessfo.- of a forged passports ~o-ntrtlry"to" ' sectio.,.. 26 (1) '('e_>-·a-d (2) of tHe Immigratio-- Act, 1972, a ... d se•"'lte,..,ci-ng .. : ... ~ ;. ,.. . . . : .· : ~ t 1_ ' each to impriso-me-t for . six rno-ths. . . . . ( ". ◄• • hsubsectio"" ( 1) (ta"!) whereu-der th~ l:t;~rge was laict··ma~es it a ... • ,. . j .,. , --. ..." ,. : offe-ce for av-y pers,;;-••to UiSe. or h~ve ·1- his possess~ o- a:::y forged or irretjular passport·~· A.:d sub's~cffri"'.'' (2) presci;-ibeithe ffo .... iUty for' ..:hat . ' t>ffe,-,ce as ~ fi ... e -ot-ex:ee'edl ... g' shs~3o;om:>/=3'c'.;r -impds~:.:me..:t for ~ tem ... ot exc~edi... g three yea·~~ or both.. su~h' ·f1~-e a.-a• -imfjri so.:.me""t•,. :a;o Mwakl:tsu,-,gtila who ha1~'" k>ee ... · rep~es-e ... ti:..g tH-e app~l1at.-1-... • : 'dl.o.... g has a.'1va~ced the ~~gu!l'e-\·'tha< me~s:·re? ..i~ ~~- ~[i:-~1~!- e.~~me-t of J (If, I I I offe':'ce, 'which arg~me--t 'has bee- res1sted by cou-seli."for the Re_m 1 J1ic Miss. Phillip. I wili deal witp J:h~s partfcular po1-t right aw;,, _Broadly, statute~ shoutd be co-strued !::o as t~ accord wi t 1 the accepted rules•·a'f the- c:ommo:... law r~ther· th~... to' Cr'l~i'l!::.. \<Ji~h ~hem,, except where a-d

,s-, far"as the statute 1 s obv3 ously ! te-decl .) alte~ ttte course of the cfommo-- law.·· There 'rs a setti~d pr~sumf:Jt~ O"' th.::1t 1.... ...... a:::y Stattltory ~r~me the comm·<'>.::·..:1-a~-ine•-tal elem,... ..._ :i.• e me-r. tea o.r··l!::i_l · 1;.:te,•itfo~ -or k... owledge~ ..,f the wr0,..gfut ... ~·ss· of \:.he ·act,· is a ... t-Jsse .... tial-· _ - . fI ) 1 ... gre·a.1e. . . t. But- atf !Mpli~a -abrw~,1 publi'C4- Velky m~y re~ult! i,... ~reatto ... - of · a: stattfte •dispel-s-1 -g with· the' requiireme-t · of me-s rea 1"' excepuio,..al <:ircumsta... t!es~ ·, -; . I ain .,.,ot ·satisfied, th'at-.tne' of,fe-t!e t!harged i- this case is a crime of strict or· abs"r1-lute :11:~bi;ttty, .as· co-·te-ded };)y c;_ou:..s·e1 for the Repuhlie... r ,1 If the.,Legislat!url:F had 1 ... te-dedc t'o'make it!','Sci it- would have mad<l''at le.as-t I ·some i"'dicatio--·•·:1.--~t!he statute"-''l'ike the ot.:e'J,t··a·5d·,' by .. subsectio~ (7) of \ ·the"'same sectfo ... , i-· reg1:ird .;o deel-ara1ti~~s-\· ·retur-s' .-a-d stateme ... ·b• ,' f:1is · I . ·, poi,.,t was fir~t ·raised .f;: -the l'ower :co\lr't 1- the·: c·ourse of the"tr~.al a~d . ,,\· l l'.\I 1 ... his judgme-t the~ lear-ed:'trlagistrata 1appear~d' to say that. me-ns.2:.':!·. ,_.,,., ••• .,·./2 .. ' ,,{. . ii .,1 r I), I' . • - 2 - .. ~was a nt:!cessary eleme .. t of the offe .. qe. He dealt with the poi,.,,t i,.. the ~·

following ma .... er: 11 0,...ce it is pro\ted that the d,-,cume-t:as f.,rgect•; ·the accused has to Mdd.uce evide-c~ to satisfy the c,:iurt that u-dei;: all circum- sta,,,ces h~ w0uld -,,t have k-ow- that the passport !s fofged. " The burde- of proof discharged by the accused is•o-ly O"' balance of probability (sic.)" .. .. .. .. 0"' the. ·i.;.icide-ce a-d ~hU'ti-g of burde- of proof the tear ... ed magistrate relH!d ·o;,, the decisio- f·· tht:! case of Alley Ali a-d A-other v R 1973 LRT no(\43 I agree ~1t!1 hfm e .. ~:lrely:O' 'l'h~re was abu-tla-t evid~-ce, ·•a-ti 1 t was 'hardly i- dispute;· that the appellants were fou-d carryi~g Ta-za-ia passports ~os.183610 ar-d 187405~ respectivety. • Dltto the fact '!hat those passports were forged,: I/' there was "'o official .t:'ec("rd 1- the Immigaat:10.... office about the issue of the passports; the -umbers of the immigratio- fH~s which those pass- ports purpoi'ted t"' referactual!y related to"differe-tpassport holclefs; a ... d the signatures of the issui-g !mmigratio.. officers whi.ch were bor"'e by those pa~sport~ wek'e fabric:atio--s. The co,-.ditio.-s a-d proeedul:'e pertat-1 ... tJ to the issue of passports were described by PWl t;,yatuu, a .. ··tnunigratfo~ off~cer·, as fo!lows. ., passporfs are issua~le to cH:ize-s of the U-ited Re~ublfc o""Iy.· A ptfrso~ m•akes an applicati o- for pessport by· fiilt .. g c:erta1 ..

•·forms ar,d presentii--g them to a pSsspo~t off teer for sc:ruti -y a-d•'proc:ess 1-g. The passport . .\' . officer the~ ope-s a file~ The off!cer the .. 'ascertai!:s as to whether ' the atsplica ... t is a cittze- of the ·;-ited Republic or -·ot~· If tHe appli- cation is perfect, he -ext requires a fee ,.,f shs.500/c a--d upon payme ... t of the fee a passport is !ssued. AS stated, the Hurde- t0 .. show ··that the appella-ts had "'0 k ... owt~dge ''\ '·. . tttat the passports' !- quest:io.. ··were fC'lrgett rested with the appella,-,ts 1 ... this case. The questio... , i.-deed the ,.,-ly questio ... , before this court !s whether the aceused suceeeded•'or faUed to discharge that bul'°d(?..-. !,-, his ev5de-ce the ,first appella ... t Ally claimed that He was born at Tanga, though he is of Somali stock. He said he was bor~ i~ 1965. Hc:>wever; i.- his extrajud:i.cial stateme-t tJhich he had Made to PW1 Lyatuu on 11/3/86 he had -•tated that he was bor... at: Arusha .. t-•·1950:,· He told the court that b0th his pare-ts· were- citize .. ~• of Ta-za-ia a~d that both were dea<:1 • . But 1.- the extrajud'.tci.al atat.eme-t he had•·stated that his mother was ..stil'I altve. He told the eourt ,that he wa.-.ted a•'passport because he i.-te.. tled to travel to ca-ada for··studi.es. aut 1 .... the extra- judicial stateme--t he had sa!d that he i-te--ded to proceed to ttfo USSR. He told

the Court.that he· we-t to the rmmigratio-- H~ad Office in oar es salaam whe~e he filled the ~equisite forms a~d paid a fee of ........ /3 - 3 - ... • shs.500/=• But 1- his ex'trajudicj al stat.eme-t he had••alleged that hE! I -..I filled those forms at the Arusha i.mmi gr~t~ o- office a-d 1!hat he paid a fee of shs.310/1:0. ··He told the court that -a receipt aga~_-st .. that fee was is!!ued to h"'m a-d that it was··1ater se~.zed by immigr~ti.o.., officers. But i,... his extrajud1c~ al stateme- t he had' allegtM that -o rece~pt was issued at all. He told the cBurt that he per~o-ally c~liected the pass- port three days later. But i- h1~.extrajudic:1al stateme-t he had said that .the pas~port~·was collect""d a-d br~·,ught· t0 him by his m_othe.r~· He said he··cti9"'-o"t k:.:ow··the off5cer who issued the passport •. For o•-.ce he has bee;,., co.... sfst!e-t•'.-,- tHat. Lastly He said he was arrested at the oar e~ $al aam I;... ter·- ati 0- al M rport r-- id/3/86 as he was about to leave Ta~za~ia by a!r. The seco-d appella-t Mt1sse is also of Somali st~ck. He wc1s also afre~tecl at the airport ~l~-g wjth the first appella-t. He said he .i.~te .... ded to travel to ca~'ada t, pursue M course of stt.fdy. lie told the court t'Hat both hls t,are-ts were ci t:f.ze-s of this cou-try a..,d that he was bor,,, at .:Arusha- i- 1962. •· He .said he·'happe-ed to gr, .to the Immigratior- Head

offj_ce where He mad~ a- applicatfo- for a passport. He sg1c1 he filled th~ forms a-d the- pa:td a fee o! shs.~0/=o He was give,.., the passport two days later, but he would -ot remeinl;>er fr,.,m whom he recci ved. 1 t.. ,.. ... .~ O~e e"'tertai. -s a feel J:~g··that· the two appella .. ts are 1.... timately aequai ... ted wi-th · eac:h ".'11!her, a-d that they furt1.vely acqui..r~d the pnssports · from the same source a·-d through the same ·mea-s. The le~r... ed"magistrate surmHled that•·th~ passports were procured by the at,pella .... ts i,.., collabo- . ratio,.., 'tHth a"' i'->Si der. I share that v'iew. He f1.... ally he!d th0.t the appell'ai:~:ts· ,had failed tc, rebut the presump,t{,,...: that 1!hey k;..ew, at the mat~rial time, -fhat the passports were forged. Agai-, I am·'at o-e with him. For just look at the way .. a-d exte..;t the first appella,..,t t:livtfrged from his extrajudici al statem2~·t. I w-, 11 uph0l:d ~he c0-v'tctioi-. ir-- •· . resptkt of eactt of the appe:rla-t~:•. · 'Tnere sh0Uld -ot be a;.:y ·. compUii,...t'"' agai.,.,st the se;,.te-ce. If a..:yt:h1.:.°'g, H was, l- my vlew, u ... beffi"i.:ing i,.., that it was too ~mHd~ r.:.cide-tally the' 'appella-ts appear"to have c'1f1)mitted other 01'fe··Cel?, such as th0se··c:reated by sec:t1_" ... s 337, 339, 342 a---d 346 of the"Pe-al Code. I"' 't':he"fi-al result the appears are dismissed i- every respect •. Pro... ou,..ced to the adv ,cates a··d the appella-ts. 9/~ ~,~~ D.F·. MAPIGA1',0

JUDGE nar es salaam. 1/10/86 J