It has been said that only a fool never changes his mind. However, in our criminal jurisprudence, setting certain actions in motion without completing them may constitute an offence regardless of the change of mind. These offences are referred to as inchoate offences. This means that a full-blown offence does not need to have been...
Under the criminal justice system, a crime is regarded as an offence against the state and not the victim.[1]The state steps into the shoes of the victim and prosecutes the offender. In the end, the state focuses on punishing the offender to either pay a fine to the state or commit the offender to a...
A few weeks ago, I saw eleven facts on traffic rules which sought to educate users of the road, particularly drivers. This was virally shared on social media platforms and had no source. In this article I will attempt to correct the position of the law as it applies in Ghana with particular reference to...
The Supreme Court by majority decision has held that an insured party is entitled to determine the value of his insured car and that the value although not being the actual value of the car will not render void the insurance contract. This is because the value determined by the insured party will not be...
The Supreme Court of India, late last year, in M/s Caravel Shipping Services Private Limited v M/s Premier Sea Foods Exim Private Limited[1]held that an unsigned arbitration agreement is valid and good in law. In the view of the Indian Supreme Court, all that was required under the law is that the arbitration agreement is in writing....
Consider a scenario where you discover a gold nugget while digging your land for planting. Section 111 of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703) defines “mineral” as a substance in solid or liquid form that occurs naturally in or on the earth, or on or under the seabed, formed by or subject to geological...
Article 88(3) of the 1992 Constitution gives power to the Attorney General to initiate and conduct all prosecutions on behalf of the state. In the conduct of this duty, the Attorney General is given certain powers. Two of such powers are the power of nolle prosequi and withdrawal. This piece looks at how these two...
The High Court, Kumasi presided over by Justice Angelina Mensah-Homiah denied a construction company, Star of the Sea Construction (“Company”) the right to recover a sum of GH¢41,000 from Samuel Mensah Abroampah (“Defendant”)[1] who had promise to secure a contract for the Company. The Plaintiff Company allegedly entered into an agreement with the Defendant, for...
The law sometimes works in mysterious ways. And its principles are sometimes clearly out of date and out of touch with current realities. One of such principles is the presumption of advancement. The presumption of advancement means that the law presumes that the transfer of property to a recipient or the purchase of property in...