19890909 TZHC Mwanza

J-..tlfEI,L1-dE JUqI~OICTION HIGH couqT CRH1INJ-.L .hii!El"\I, NO. 116 OF 1989 (Original Criminal Case N). 123 of 1906 of 'th1;; District Court of Karagwe District at Kayangao Bef)r~ G. M. MUSSA - Esq. Senior District M~gistr~t~)o PETER S/0 KJ,TEKA. ••• • ••••••••••• .h~.c'ELI,i,.NT versus THE RE.t-'UBLIC ♦ e • e O. • • • e e • • e • • 0 • • JUDGMENT ' MUNYER.A, J. The appellant was ch..:,rge1 j:Jintly with thr1:::0 oth0rs ::ird h2 wc.s the first accused. It was agreei he wus a secretary for the Bug~ne Co-operative • Society. In the lst 1 4th, 7th, 10th, ,13th, 15th 3 17th, 19fh, 21st, 23r1, counts 25th, 27th, 29th, 31st, 33r1, 35th an-1 37th/he was ch.:1rgL"ri singly for fraudulent false accounting, in that he ma1e fol se entri-::s in whu t is known as produce control sheets to t;he effect tha} pe.)plc nuin(:Yl th0rein- had sold coffee to the society whereas it was not true. In the 2nd, S~h, 8th, 11th, 14th, 16th, 18th, 2?th, 22ni·, 2~th, 26th, 28th, 30th, 32nd, 34th, 36th ani 38th, he was charge1 with the seconi accus,cd, thc.m a I committee mem~er,, for stealing by servants. Fin_i,'\lly in th-~ L1Qth count ; he was chargei singly for stealing by a servant. In or1in~ry l~nguage the prosecution case was that the aopellpnt,. in C..)llabJrati~n with the • • • .: • , 4 .,;_ : ~ : ~ ' ' •• • : • I other accused, put fictitious names in the rec~ris of the soci0ty, d.epicting people· of those names· ha1 sol 1. · coffee·· 'to ·the scli 1 scci,::ty whereas they 1ij not, as· a resu- t he stul.e th~ sx:l.ety t;:; rr.:Y,~.::.y ;.;:q\lal to ~e p.td,4ie of eofee put"po$'ted -to nave' -beeh· -sol1 to the s0chd:y. This i!; what oy• people <:::all ''kununua-. hey.rel 11 o ___In .:his rl.efence hi2 :icnie~l thJ.t he d.\,d an¥ihfng wrong. He argue:i the names in the rec•)ris wen.:: genuine ones r-ep»e$~~tfng pepple who actually so11· the.ir. cof.fee to the soci8ty · anj . dulypairi. the price.. The learneci trial magistrate 1ismissed his defE?rx::e", and tonyic·ted: him of, all ~o\mtp charged-.::- _He_ :~en;tenc.ed him. to five (s~). •. yea•~ 1.tnprisonment, for. all other. c..)unts: an~· to ~ight ( 8) years im?risonment fo.J;t t>,e 4~th .count, sent'ences:.:t:> run .concurrentlyo He brou·ght this appeal. whic::h has .been· a·rgue1. ·by ,Mr •. _·1:<ahangwa'.., '. :tn· scruti'nisi·ng t.he: r·ecuri .I fin1. there. '!JJ.S ·-2vi·l~nce on. prosFcution ·Si'de tha.t. the . .appell.ant.in·hi,s1t:apacity, as.th~ soc.i2ty 1 s.s1;:;cret.:1ry wa;5 iresponsible ,for buying coffee a.n1 paying m:)ney t,,., the selle,:-s 0 In reply ~o questions ·he sai1: u:.:.Whenever m0ney· is- received Cfr...Jm• b.:ink) \ · and pai,-t- out· (to seli'.ers)~ the entrit=s· the . are·fua':ie 'i·nLcash b,.)_;k·.. : This is th"e ,. C • -~ ... ..... ~' ~ash boo~ pio1ucei tn Co~~t.as a~hibit r ~ use1. The mJney rciceive1 is eht2r~d in the casho The balance _in: th~,. c:::.sll · _book must be the _same as that mo.n(,,;y . in the safe. If the miney·:in -th;,:··safe i:.:--sh..n:·t it m-tst have been misappr9pri::1te1 •.. 'rh-:: signatures on the control sheets-are.mine, the money in the control _sheets· were pair:l by me to different farmerSpoe ■·' And the proce1ure was that whenever a seller br:ought h±s cc,ffee, it . .. . ' was weig_hcd ani recorie1 in the weight Note 80,jko. · .Then the. names_ . of the sefl ers. ar": ~ecor1e1 in the f'ro-fuce Control Shc-,:;t. in~::icciting the weight of the coffee sold ani the: am-:.)unt to be pc:.ida 1Jh(mever r , / (!(' s.a,tle;: received· paymenthe signed against hi_s name in the o.pproprj..ate ,.,.,-_,.- · . . . . . . fill.ed .,, column.· .. It was the prosecution's case that -the appella.nt sheets with fictitious sellers an1 stole the mo_ney in. that ,r.;;sr,ec·t.•. - / ' control On the other · · hand the appellant argue1 he in fact bought C<;)ffee from the sellers and paid -them the money a:·s 'in1icated .. · · Th 1.:: names ·.compI.aine1 of were (~j- Murs~d Ruspa~ania (1st ani ini co~nt.s(), -(2) Nnjibu ~~sha~'?ma. {4th coun:t only),· (3) Dominic Rukanyaga ·(7th. ani 8th c.::iunts)_, (4) R~kanyaga . . Byarug-a.ba ( 10th ani 11th c3unts), (5) Bruno Tib<!lzizizr1 ( 13th anr:l l~~h- ·-eounts f ,' (6) Fidel ·Kah~tano (iSt:h an1 16th·'cvunts) ~ (7) f~ulo r-iaruoni ( 17th an1 18th c~unts), ( 8) Gervase Bas.heka ( 19th and 20th count5·), (') oau1i Kanagwa (21s't ani 22nri counts), ( 10) Murshid Bushangama (23r1 and 24th counts). (11) C!~ophace Domician (25th .:1n1 26th c:,unts), (12) Anselmi Muzizi (27th and 28th counts) (13) Ernest Ntoka (29th and 30th counts), (14) Yohana Akingiire (31st an1 32nri counts), (15) Yohqna Nkubayi . (33rd and 341;p c0uq.ts), ( 16) Stanslaus Kabaka (35th an~l 36th. counts) and Ct7) s·el~~ah' Osman (37th and. 38th :counts). Out' of th:i.s "iist the foliowir.tg: .. :, ... ·.. gave evi1e.nce ( 1) (f:'WoS) Cleophace pomiriicfan. _(jiSth z.1·n1 26th counts);-. . <,> PW~, Suleman Osma~ (37th. an1 isih ,C6-dnts, ti·, P~v~'i ;in·.1r-=a r-~-~sh~n<ji • • ,,. ~ . •, • ' "' •; • • I • • - • • - ( '13th and ·14th counts) (4) P~v.8 Fi<iel Kahata:no C1stri !mi'.1 1eth coun-t-s), (S.) t>vJ.9 Gervase Basheka (19th anj 20th counts), (6) Piv.10 Yohana Katingire (31st an1 1 32n,-f c'ounts). an1 (7) PW.11 Yohana Nkubc:iyi (33rr.1 and 34th.counts). The_·witnesses denied they sold any coffee nor received the mon'=y as ,.J i.n.11.cated. The trial magistrate believe1 the witnesses that they ii~ :?, .;·, i not sell coffee nor received payments. B•:Jth the· counse:1 for Republic . .• an1 for the appellant expressed i 1entical view that thel~:~~{~~ate., erred in believing the witnesses. The counsels argued sine~ there were si.g.naturel against the witnesses's names an1 the witnesses disowne1 them. their apecimen signatures should have been sent to the handwriting expert for comparis9n. As this was not 1one the trial megistrQtu shoul1 not have accepted the mere denial that they signe1 the contr0l sheets. -I hav~ (:onsidered, the counsels' argument an:i hcive comE:: to the concl u-'sion ; ........-.--.:._.......--••..,,.......,,,. •.' • • •• I no~- to -cCC~pt . it. ,_:.I~; w'a s n°0.t· necessary: t.~ s~n i ,h;:: n·}\1r:~ ting specimens of _the witnesses. to t,h.~ expi::r.t. 1_ they ·were \vitn.;S_S.J~ not"' s~s~::°., c ts. It • • •. <o • I•' • •.f.• • • ' •• ; .' ••1 . was upon the c0u:t ei~J:ier __to··.b~l~eve· o~ iisbl~liciv,2 th,:m, it was the que'stion of ·cred4:bility of wnich normally. th.e t::'ii:ll Cu'l,mt is u _b_cst judge µnless . . ''' ~here be.. . . obvtous· ~eas;)n~_for·-fauitL1<J ito · ,:tn this.41 . ~. ~ . \.. . .. ' t . part.i.et:1la:r case I ··fini no feasdn f<:_:>r· faulting th .... tri8l _m:1gi~:trate. All • • • ,' • ~ • ; • • • •• I the witnesses. PW._5._. fl~11,were_not qf t:he same fanuly,·t11oy'·c.~~e fr_o'tti . different :pf ace~. ·We ca'n, t say they. c6~venej a _rn,:c;ting ul!·'! ~,gree'; ~Q tell lies against the·. appellant,. there was n:; PPiJ.::ire:nt· rc::u~c;ps for 1:)ing so.··. The learned trial . ·maglstra.fe was r·igJ:1~ -ih be!licvin~t try-2ir testim_oriies·· they did not sell coffee to thi app,ellant I s so.ch:ty ::i,1c1 'ii1 -not· ·r_eceive' ,payments~, Since 1:he a;_)pellant a·imitte:i h~ wa:_ s t~e in:;-'w~o:·;1~ote -~1:e.',-· •• ·.... . names. c~mplaine1 ,of he must b~ t.a~1:::n . to.,,,.. h.a-ve stul . en .:t~\~ ,:rno~ey. i•nv:.il.ved. ' .· . ~· .. He' was righ;tly. co·nv.ict-eid_',-~f 13th., .·14th\ ·15th, 16th,. it9th,'· 20tl'l., 31'kt; >3.211,~; ~· . ... • ! .• ! • •# , 1 • ~3~d, 34th, ,37th, and 3~th. counts.· As for the r<-;·st, I ;fin1 -·n9 · ev~ience· .\ •, . . 't~ _sustain the prosecution -c~s·e. I allo~ the app~~l in rcsp~ct of those '- c-oun:t:s· ~sh the' conviction and, set aside their resp.:.ctive sentences·. . . . . ' . . in respect of the '13th, The appeal_. . 14th, . . . 15.th,_·,16th, . 19th · 20th , 31st·· ' . '' , . 32nd, 33rd ,- 34th, ~ 7-th ,' and 38th cvunts· ·is \:IismissE;d .., cH'/,d. -r.he~r r.~tpec·ti ve,, .c:oncurrent __,sentences r;,f five (5) year~ ('each count· c:.mfirm~ido · ) :• :· ..... ,· .,' •.· , ' . F •. A~h~~RA ' ~U;)Jl.F;_ 9/'0/890· Order: .The order of comp_ensation .~de by th8 trial _m;::gistrat:e is_ hereby ,, .... : ;. , ;. . . : . \,• varied to th~ ,.e?'~~~t thc:.t the__--,app_ellant will .i;-cfund .. the amo~nt.' · i·n. relotion to ,.tbe'-'-"13th,· ;14th, .15~h·:, ·1_6_th, 19th,_ . 20th/·31st,. \ . ::, 1 32nd,, 33rd, 34th: 37th_·a·n1 .,38th counts 0nly 0 ..... ::·. ~~;:' '. ·. F .• At Mwanz·a, •f .. JUJGE ., .-f. ' 9th September,1989. ' . I ,:.,.. I . ., , .: . . .,. ' •',: .. '~,. ' .·,•,,·,' .......