BECKLEY AND OTHERS
V.
THE REPUBLIC
BADDOO JA.: Nine accused persons including the appellants herein were charged before the Western Regional Public Tribunal on June 9 1987 with conspiracy to commit a crime, to wit doing an act to sabotage the economy of Ghana. The seventh, eighth and ninth accused persons who are now at large were further charged with abuse of office for private profit while the sixth appellant herein was additionally charged with abetment of crime.
On 3 August 1988, almost fourteen months later after the trial begun in June 1987, all the appellants including the seventh eighth and ninth accused persons, were convicted and sentenced to the following terms of fines and imprisonment:
“(1) The first to ninth accused are sentenced to one year Imprisonment on count one.
(2) The first to ninth accused are sentenced to a fine of ¢500,000 each or in default five years’imprisonment with hard labour on count two.
(3) The eighth accused is sentenced to one years’ imprisonment with hard labour on count five.
(4) The…