19870301 TZHC Mtwara 1

♦ _,,, ':'.:·lL HIGH COURT OF TANZANIA

AT MTWARA :::.~G~: :TL·:~. _RlI<~1~AL i'.z-·.c,r,AL NOo 115 Of' 1986 , ::::_.~ .: '. l C1. :;.rninal Cas:: l'-:oo 325 of 1986 of '.:he ~~-: :~i~t :curt of ~~s~si Lis~r~ct ~t ~dscsi :-~.__:.:'c...:.:-:~ CoFo :\,1samat.i., _::;sq., P.Do l'-12gistrt:.tt:: oooooooooaoooooo Versus , --r~ .... "' ., • .I. - ~ •.J 0000000000000000•0 .JUDGMENT S,,;::.,u~~ _.,::..,;:;_-,LLAH was charged with two counts of stealing contrary ·:.:o se:d:ior: 265 of the Penal Code. He wa:; however convicted o~ ~~ing ;Jund in possessiorr of property reasonably suspect8d to h~va bo0n unlawfully acquired contrary to saction 312 ( l) (a) o·f -~l:c Penul Code and sentenced to 12 months imprisonni..:n·~. E:~ -7.s now appealing against both tlic= conviction At the carp~ntry sho~ of the ~ppellan~ s~vcrcl pieces of louver 9lc1s s~s w0r0 found and seized. /. snort tir-.,; previous to the find.ng of the s2id louver glasses at th1::: c ::rpentry shop o~ th~ ~pp~ll2nt some louver glasses had been stolen from i"il:ornui::c1o Government Hospital and Rural 1·,edical Aid ( R.1"ia Ao) LL0~. i.,L.C:.00 1 The seized louver glasses were produced in court i;; :::.n attempt to prove that the seizec glasses were those: ·::h~, :: :.J~ ,:f0en sto~en from the two Medicc:i 1 institutions. In this en<.:t-.]c.1vc-ur th~: prosecution failed miserably! All it cou1d do .::.c ::·,:.:..· as .:.he identification of the seized louver glass2s

1·:2.: 0: ,: .• ,,.;::•:.rn..;~: was to state that the property in court was siinil.:u.· ·:.:o~ :.:J-.,::t .,,hich had been stolen f.rom thti two Medical event . . insti':ut~.on:::a Ir: th~ L- .:: the trial magistrate hE~ld that ..,oe louver glasses r2cov,..::r0d or seized from tho:.: cc:q.,,~ntry snop of the '- appellant i•1ad not :bc:.H,.:.n properly id_entifi0d ,,s li::1':ir.(j :-)~~n stolen from the Rurnl L.:;c..::.::c:il Aid l"!komaindo cmc :.·.0:.::L.:.r.... .., ,,overr.;:,-...:nt Hospital. H,! ,.. cqui ttcd the appellant o:- . -c:-,....: ..:nc....q .:.:s of stealing but sul:>.:ti tuted u fresh char:;;u L1 c :.nfo.cr:J. --c~· wit:-. section 2 - 234(1) ol th~ C~iminal ~rocedure Act, 1985. TiL-' ::;llb:::·c."_ · ;_,ted charge io e. being in possession of property reasonably~~~~ ~ted to have been unlawfully acquired contrary to s-::c-:::.i.c:: :>__ ::? C.) : o.) of the Penar Code is scheduled under the First Jch,:.:GuL..: ::..-: ·..:i: . : Economic and Organized Crime C.ontrol ,..ct 9 19840 there an economic crime, triable bj t::1,.:: High Court sit~~~~ L~ an Economic Crimes Courto The tri~l magistra.-c.,__: l1,.( ,.u jurisdiction to try thi.s cas·.::o t/h,_ ~ he should have don2 L1str,cd o~: continuing with the trial of tlv~ cast:: -.,.,a2, to refer th~ c~~~ t0 the High court as is provided by section 11(2)(a) of the Eccnomic and Organiied Crime Control Act, 19850 The purport~d trial b; the trial ma~istrat~ was a nullity. I . I accordingly quash the conviction entered and set aside the sentence. T~c nppc:lant is to b& s~t free at once unless he is otherwise lm-,-fully 1:-::..ld in custody o \ ' '.' Yahya. Rubi.3.ma Judge 1o3o87