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Tanzania Judgment

TZCA

20130712 TZCA Dar es Salaam

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Professional case brief

Research organized from the available case record

Source document

01

Holding and result

The appellant, not being the Director of Public Prosecution, has no locus standi to appeal against the acquittal of the respondents; therefore, the appeal is incompetent and must be struck out.

Court disposition

appeal struck out as incompetent

Orders

  • The appeal is struck out.

02

Material facts

Parties

Paul John Mhozya

Appellant

Abdallah Mohamed Mpanjinji

Respondent

Hassan Mohamed Ligile

Respondent

03

Procedural history

  1. Posture

    Criminal Appeal / Appeal to Court of Appeal From High Court Decision

04

Questions and positions

Legal issues

Whether a private prosecutor has locus standi to appeal against an acquittal in the Court of Appeal of Tanzania

Party arguments

Applicant
Appellant challenged the acquittal of the respondents for offences privately prosecuted by him.
Respondent
Respondents left the matter to the determination of the Court.

05

Court’s reasoning

  1. 01

    Section 6(2) of the Appellate Jurisdiction Act [CAP 141 R.E.2002]

    Only the Director of Public Prosecution has locus standi to appeal against acquittals, sentences, or orders in criminal cases to the Court of Appeal.

  2. 02

    Seif Sharif Hamad v S.M.Z. [1992] T.L.R. 43

    A private prosecutor has no right of appeal to the Court of Appeal in criminal matters.

06

Ratio, limits and disposition

Ratio decidendi

The appellant, not being the Director of Public Prosecution, has no locus standi to appeal against the acquittal of the respondents; therefore, the appeal is incompetent and must be struck out.

Court disposition

appeal struck out as incompetent

  • The appeal is struck out.

Source and reliance status

TZCA · 12 July 2013

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Judgment reading view

Judgment text

The complete available source text.

Source document

TZCA

Judgment· 12 July 2013

20130712 TZCA Dar es Salaam

/.

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF TANZANIA

AT DAR ES SALAAM (CORAM: KIMARO, J.A., MASSATI.J.A., And MANDIA, J.A.) .. CRIMINAL APPEAL NO. 172 OF 2010 PAUL JOHN MHOZYA..........................................................APPELLANT

VERSUS 1. ABDALLAH MOHAMED MPANJINJI 2. HASSAN MOHAMED LIGILE ...................................... RESPONDENTS {Appeal from the judgment of the High Court of Tanzania at Dar es Salaam) (Juma, J.) dated the 14th day of December, 2009 in Criminal Appeal No. 108 of 2009

JUDGMENT OF THE COURT 28 June & 29 July, 2013 KIMARO, J.A.: This appeal arises out of an unsuccessful private -prosecution of Abdallah Mohamed Mpanjinji, the first respondent, and Hassan Mohamed Ligile, the second respondent. They were privately prosecuted by the appellant for three offences. One, certifying and subsequently circulating 1 J • · documents with information designed to be brejudicial and harmful to the ·~ I complainant contrary to section 96 of thJ Penal Code. Two, inciting commission of an offence contrary to sectidn 390 of the Penal Code and three, being parties to section 22(b) ajd (c) of the Penal Code for malicious destruction of property contrary to section 326 of the Penal Code. The trial court dismissed all the charges for lack of evidence to prove the offences and for failure by the aJpellant to obtain consent from I the Director of Public Prosecutions for the Jrosecution of the respondents. The appellant lodged an appeal to the High Court but he was not successful· for the same reasons as were givien by the trial court. I He is now before the Court with thirteen grounds of appeal faulting· I the decision of the two courts below. During the hearing of the appeal i" parties appeared in person. None of them was represented. The fourt "suo mottl' required the appellant to_ say whether the appeal he filed in the Court was competent. I He opted to leave the

matter to the dJtermination I . of the Court. The I 2 respondents on the other hand, also decided to take the same move by leaving the matter to the determination of the Court. The position of the law is that appeals to this Court in criminal cases are governed by section 6 of the Appellate Jurisdiction Act, [CAP 141 R.E.2002]. Section 6(2) of the Act confers "locus stand/' to appeal against any acquittal, sentence or order passed either by the High Court or a subordinate court exercising extended powers to the Director of Public Prosecution only. The section reads as follows: "Where the Director of Public Prosecution is dissatisfied with any acquittal, sentence or order made or passed by the High Court or by a subordinate court exercising extended powers he may appeal to the Court of Appeal against the· acquittal sentence or orde0 as the case may be/ on any ground of appeal. " In an appeal which was filed in this Court in the case of Seif Sharif Hamad V S.M.Z. [1992] T.L.R. 43, the appellant was challenging an order passed by a regional magistrate with extended jurisdiction. In 3· -,~ determining the question whether the Court had jurisdiction to entertain the matter, the Court held that: "(iii) -our appellate jurisdiction derived from the · Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1979. Section 6 deals with criminal appeals like this one. Section 6(2) expressly permits only the D.P.P. to

appeal against any order of the High Court or subordinate court in the exercise of extended Jurisdiction; (iv) The appellant has no right of appeal. " The appellant in this appeal is not the Director of Public Prosecution. As indicated before, he is appealing against the acquittal of the respondents for offences privately prosecuted by him. In view of the provisions cited above and the case of Seif Shariff Hamad (supra) he has no '1/ocus stand/' to file the appeal. The appeal before us is incompetent. We hereby strike it out. It is ordered accordingly. DATED at DAR ES SALAAM this lih day of July, 2013. 4 N.P.KIMARO

JUSTICE OF APPPEAL I certify that this is a true copy of the original. P. M. KENTE)

REGISTRAR COURT OF APPEAL. 5

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Authorities

Authorities used by the court

Cases, legislation, regulations, and constitutional provisions identified in the available record.

Seif Sharif Hamad v S.M.Z. [1992] T.L.R. 43

Case cited

Appellate Jurisdiction Act [CAP 141 R.E.2002] section 6(2)

Legislation

Legislation referenced in the available case record.

Penal Code section 96

Legislation

Legislation referenced in the available case record.

Penal Code section 390

Legislation

Legislation referenced in the available case record.

Penal Code section 22(b) and (c)

Legislation

Legislation referenced in the available case record.

Penal Code section 326

Legislation

Legislation referenced in the available case record.

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