Crime & Consequence
Simple Schedule of Specified offences and their associated punishments.
| Offence | Punishment | Particulars of Offence | Section |
|---|---|---|---|
| Murder | Life Imprisonment | A person who commits murder is liable on conviction to life imprisonment | Section 46 of Act 29 [As Amended by Act 1101] |
| Attempt to commit murder by convict | Life Imprisonment | A person who, being under sentence of imprisonment for three years or more, attempts to commit murder is liable on conviction to life imprisonment | Section 49 of Act 29 [As Amended by Act 1101] |
| Piracy | Life Imprisonment | Punishment of piracy (1) A person who commits an act of piracy commits a first degree felony. (2) A person who, with intent to commit, or at the time of, or immediately before, or immediately after, committing an act of piracy in respect of a ship, assaults, with intent to murder, a person who is on board, or belonging to, the ship or injures the person or unlawfully does an act by which the life of that person may be endangered, commits a felony and is liable on conviction to be sentenced to life imprisonment.” | Section 194 of Act 29 [As Amended by Act 1101] |
| Genocide | Life Imprisonment | (1) A person who commits genocide is liable on conviction to life imprisonment. (2) A person commits genocide where, with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, any national, ethical, racial or religious group, that person (a) kills members of the group; (b) causes serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; (c) deliberately inflicts on the group conditions of life calculated to bring its physical destruction in whole or in part; (d) imposes measures intended to prevent births within the group; (e) forcibly transfers children of the group to another group. | Section 49A (1) [As Amended by Act 1101] |
| Smuggling of gold, diamond | Life Imprisonment | 317A. Smuggling of gold, diamond (1)Despite any law to the contrary, a person who (a) without lawful authority, the proof of which lies on that person, exports or attempts to export gold or diamond; or (b) conceals or carries away from the Republic gold or diamond with intent to evade an enactment relating to the export of gold or diamond, commits a criminal offence and is liable on conviction to a sentence of life imprisonment, and the gold or diamond, in respect of which the criminal offence was committed shall be forfeited to the Republic." (2) The President may, by legislative instrument, apply subsection (1) to any other minerals specified in the instrument (3)“diamond” means a rough and uncut diamond of Ghanaian origin; “gold” includes gold bullion,retorted gold, gold ore, gold amalgam, gold alloy, precipitates containing gold, slag, concentrates,tailings and residues, and gold dust but not the articles manufactured of gold and in reasonable quantities the proof of which lies on the person alleging reasonableness. | Section 317A of Act 29 [As Amended by Act 1101] |
| High Treason -Statute | Death | (1) A person who commits high treason is liable to suffer death. (2) For the purposes of subsection (1), high treason has the meaning assigned to it by clause (3) of article 3 of the Constitution. (3) A person who is not a citizen is not punishable under this section for anything done outside Ghana, but a citizen may be tried and punished for high treason under this section wherever committed. ---- | Section 180 of Act 29 |
| High Treason Under the Constitution | Death | Article 3(3): Any person who— (a) by himself or in concert with others by any violent or other unlawful means, suspends or overthrows or abrogates this Constitution or any part of it, or attempts to do any such act; or (b) aids and abets in any manner any person referred to in paragraph (a) of this clause; commits the offence of high treason and shall, upon conviction, be sentenced to suffer death. | Article 3(3) of the 1992 Constitution |
| Attempted Murder | Life or Lesser Term | A person who attempts to commit murder commits a first degree felony. | Section 48 of Act 29 |
| Manslaughter | Life or Lesser Term | A person who commits manslaughter commits a first degree felony. | Section 50 of Act 29 |
| Abetment of suicide | Life or Lesser Term | A person who abets the commission of a suicide commits a first degree felony whether or not the suicide is actually committed. | Section 57 of Act 29 |
| Causing Harm by the Use of Offensive Weapon | Life or Lesser Term | A person who intentionally and unlawfully causes harm to any other person by the use of an offensive weapon commits a first degree felony | Section 70 of Act 29 |
| Rape (Punishment Specified) | Not less than 5 but not exceeding 25 years | A person who commits rape commits a first degree felony and is liable on conviction to a term of imprisonment of not less than five years and not more than twenty-five years. | Section 97 of Act 29 |
| Defilement | Not less than 7 but not exceeding 25 years | (1) For the purposes of this Act, defilement is the natural or unnatural carnal knowledge of a child under sixteen years of age. | Section 101 of Act 30 |
| Unnatural Carnal Knowledge - (Punishment Specified) | Not less than 5 but not exceeding 25 years | Unnatural carnal knowledge (1) A person who has unnatural carnal knowledge (a) of another person of not less than sixteen years of age without the consent of that other person commits a first degree felony and is liable on conviction to a term of imprisonment of not less than five years and not more than twenty-five years; | Section 104 of Act 29 |
| Robbery | Not less than 10 years but if the offence is acarried out by means of an offensive weapon it is enhanced to not less than 15 years | Whoever commits robbery is guilty of an offense and shall be liable, upon conviction on trial summarily or on indictment, to imprisonment for a term of not less than ten years, and where the offense is committed by the use of an offensive weapon or offensive missile, the offender shall upon conviction be liable to imprisonment for a term of not less than fifteen years.” A person who steals a thing commits robbery (a) if in, and for the purpose of stealing the thing, that person uses force or causes harm to any other person, or (b) if that person uses a threat or criminal assault or harm to any other person, with intent to prevent or overcome the resistance of the other person to the stealing of the thing. | Section 149/150 of Act 29 as amended by Act 646 |
| Causing Unlawful Damage | Life or Lesser Term | A person who intentionally and unlawfully causes damage to property in a manner which causes, is likely to cause, danger to life commits a first degree felony. | Section 172(2) of Act 29 |
| Intentionally endangering train, vessel or aircraft | Life or Lesser Term | A person who causes the safety of an engine, a carriage, or a train on a railway, or of a vessel or an aircraft, to be endangered, with intent to cause harm or danger to a person, commits a first degree felony. | Section 178 of Act 29 |
| Misprision of treason | Life or Lesser Term | A person who knows of the commission of high treason, or of a treason within the meaning of clause (17) of article 19 of the Constitution, and does not forthwith reveal it to the President, or to a police officer not below the rank of Inspector, commits a misprision of treason and is punishable as for a first degree felony. | Section 181 of Act 29 |
| Treason felony | Life or Lesser Term | A person commits a treason felony and is punishable as for a first degree felony who (a) prepares or endeavours to procure by unlawful means an alteration of the law or of the policies of the Government, or (b) prepares or endeavours to carry out by unlawful means an enterprise which usurps the executive powers of the Republic in a matter of both a public and a general nature. | Section 182 of Act 29 |
| Abetment of mutiny or desertion or assault | Life or Lesser Term | A person who is not subject to military law, and who abets the commission of a mutiny by a person subject to military law, commits a first degree felony. | Section 187 of Act 29 |
| Possession of explosives, firearms and ammunition | Life or Lesser Term | Despite the provisions of any other enactment, a person who has in possession, custody or control, without lawful excuse, the proof of which lies on that person, an explosive, a firearm or an ammunition commits a first degree felony | Section 192 of Act 29 |
| Hijacking and attack on international communications | Life or Lesser Term | A person who hijacks an aircraft commits a first degree felony and is liable on conviction to a term of imprisonment of not less than five years. | Section 195 (1) of Act 29 |
| Perjury (As a First Degree Felony) | Life or Lesser Term | A person who commits perjury with intent to cause the conviction of any other person for a criminal offence punishable with death, commits a first degree felony. | Section 210(2) of Act 29 |
| Perjury (As a Second Degree Felony) | Not Exceeding 10 years | A person commits perjury, if in a written or verbal statement made or verified by that person on oath before a Court, or a public officer, or before the President or before a commission or committee states anything knowing that the statement is false in a material particular, or which that person does not have a reason to believe is true. | Section 210(1) of Act 29 |
| Causing harm | Not Exceeding 10 years | A person who intentionally and unlawfully causes harm to any other person commits a second degree felony. | Section 69 of Act 29 |
| Threat of Death | Not Exceeding 10 years | A person who threatens any other person with death, with intent to put that person in fear of death, commits a second degree felony. | Section 75 of Act 29 |
| Kidnapping | Not Exceeding 10 years | A person who kidnaps another person commits a second degree felony. | Section 89 of Act 29 |
| Child Stealing | Not Exceeding 10 years | A person who steals a person under fourteen years of age, whether with or without consent, commits a second degree felony. | Section 93 of Act 29 |
| Falsification of accounts | Not Exceeding 10 years | (1) A clerk, a servant or a public officer, or an officer of a partnership, company or corporation commits a second degree felony who does any of the acts mentioned in paragraph (a) or (b), with intent to cause or enable a person to be defrauded, or with intent to commit or to facilitate the commission, personally or by any other person, of a criminal offence; (a) conceals injures, alters or falsifies a book, or an account kept by or belonging or entrusted to the employers or to the partnership, company or corporation; or corporation; or entrusted to the officer, or to which the officer has access, as an officer or omits to make a full and true entry in an account of anything which the officer is bound to enter in the account; or (b) publishes an account, a statement or prospectus, relating to the affairs of the partnership, company or corporation, which the officer knows to be false in a material particular. | Section 140 of Act 29 |
| Stealing | Not exceeding 25 years | A person who steals commits a second degree felony. | Section 124 of Act 29 |
| Fraudulent breach of trust | Not exceeding 25 years | A person who commits a fraudulent breach of trust commits a second degree felony | Section 128 of Act 29 |
| Defrauding by false pretence | Not exceeding 25 years | A person who defrauds any other person by a false pretence commits a second degree felony | Section 131 of Act 29 |
| Fraud by agents | Not exceeding 25 years | (1) A person commits a misdemeanour who (a) as an agent dishonestly accepts or obtains, or agrees to accept or attempts to obtain, from any other person, for that person or for any other person, a gift or consideration as an inducement or reward for doing or forbearing to do or for having done or forborne to do, an act in relation to the principal’s affairs or business, or for showing or forbearing to show favour or disfavour to a person in relation to the principal’s affairs or business; or (b) dishonestly gives or agrees to give or offers a gift or consideration to an agent as an inducement or reward for forbearing to do, or for having done or forborne to do, an act in relation to the principal’s affairs or business, or for showing or forbearing to show favour or disfavour to a person in relation to the principal’s affairs or business; or (c) knowingly gives to an agent, or if an agent knowingly uses with intent to deceive the principal, a receipt, an account, or any other document in respect of which the principal is interested, and which contains a statement which is false or erroneous or defective in a material particular, and which is to the knowledge of that person intended to mislead the principal. (2) For the purposes of subsection (1), “consideration” includes valuable consideration of any kind; “agent” includes a person employed by or acting for another; “principal” includes an employer. | Section 145 of Act 29 |
| Extortion | Not exceeding 25 years | A person who extorts property from any other person by means of threat commits a second degree felony. | Section 151 of Act 29 |
| Unlawful entry | Not exceeding 25 years | A person who unlawfully enters a building with the intention of committing a criminal offence in the building commits a second degree felony. | Section 152 of Act 29 |
| Instruments intended or adapted for unlawful entry | Not exceeding 25 years | A person who has, without lawful excuse, the proof of which lies on that person, the possession of a tool or an implement adapted or intended for use in unlawfully entering a building commits a misdemeanour. | Section 154 of Act 29 |
| Forgery of judicial or official document | Not exceeding 25 years | A person who, with intent to deceive any other person, forges a judicial or an official document, commits a second degree felony. | Section 158 of Act 29 |
| Possession of means of forging | Not exceeding 25 years | A person who without lawful excuse, the proof of which lies on that person, has in possession an instrument or a thing specially contrived or adapted for the purposes of forgery commits a misdemeanour. | Section 165 of Act 29 |
| Corruption of and by public officer or juror | Not less than 12 but not exceeding 25 years | 239. (1) A public officer or juror shall not commit corruption or wilful oppression or extortion in respect of the duties of office. (2) A person shall not corrupt any other person in respect of a duty as a public officer or juror. (3) A person who contravenes subsection (1) or (2) commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a term of imprisonment of not less than twelve years and not more than twenty-five years.". | Section 239 of Act 29 [As amended by Act 1034] |
| Accepting or giving bribe to influence a public officer or juror | Not less than 12 but not exceeding 25 years | 252. (1) A person shall not accept or agree or offer to accept a valuable consideration under the pretence of having unduly influenced or being able or agreeing to influence any other person in respect of functions as a public officer or juror. (2) A person shall not give or agree or offer to give to a public officer a valuable consideration for the grant to that person or to any other person of a benefit or an advantage or for the exercise of influence in favour of that person or any other person. (3) A person who contravenes subsection (1) or (2) commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a term of imprisonment of not less than twelve years and not more than twenty-five years.". | Section 252 of Act 29 [As amended by Act 1034] |
| Corrupt promise by judicial officer or juror | Not less than 12 but not exceeding 25 years | 253. (1) A person shall not, otherwise than in the due execution of a duty as a judicial officer or juror, make or offer to make an agreement with any other person as to the judgment or verdict which that person will or will not give as a judicial officer or juror in a pending or future proceeding. (2) A person who contravenes subsection (1) commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a term of imprisonment of not less than twelve years and not more than twenty-five years." | Section 253 of Act 29 [As amended by Act 1034] |
| Withholding of public money by a public officer | Not less than 12 but not exceeding 25 years | 260. Where a public officer who is bound in that capacity to pay or account for money or a valuable thing or to produce or give a document or any other thing up, fails to pay or account for or to produce or give the document or thing up to any other officer or person lawfully demanding the same, commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a term of imprisonment of not less than twelve years and not more than twenty-five years.". | Section 260 of Act 29 [As amended by Act 1034] |