(1988)1988December20 (A.LOCOU,P..MALACHTOS,STYUANIDES,PAPADOPOULOS. HJTTSANGARIS,CHRYSOSTOMIS,ARTEMDES,JJ.) PANAYIOTISKAFKARIS, Appellant, v. THEPOLICE, Respondents. (CriminalApplication No. 2/88). CriminalProcedure —Bail—The CriminalProcedure Law, Cap. 155, section 157
(1)and
(2)—OriginalJurisdiction ofSupreme Court— Confined to offences punishable by death (s.l57
(2)) —in allother cases,thematteriswithinthejurisdictionoftheCriminalCourtseized with the case —Letter's decision can only be reviewed by way of 5 appeal. The applicant, who is charged with premeditated murder and other offences before the Assize Court of Limassol, filed this application for hisrelease onbail. Held, dismissing the application:
(1)Asnone of the offences with 10 whichthe applicatnt ischarged carriesthe death penalty,thecaseis not withinthejurisdiction ofthisCourt unders.l57
(2)of Cap. 155.
(2)The jurisdiction to release an accused on bail - except as provided by S.157
(2)- lies with the Court seized with the case.A decision ofsuch CourtcanonlybereviewedbythisCourtbywayof 15 appeal (Rodosthenous and Another v. Police, 1961 C.L.R. 48 adopted). Application dismissed. Casesreferred to: Rodosthenous andAnother v.Police, 1961C.L.R. 48; Leftis v.Police
(1973)2C.L.R.87; Theodossiou v. The Republic
(1963)1C.L.R.93. 206 20 2CL.R. Kaftaits v. P o l k * Application. Application by Panayiotis Kafkaris, who was remanded in custodyduringhistrialbeforetheAssi2eCourtofLimassolsitting at Nicosia with premeditated murder and other offences, forhis 5 releaseonbail. M. Pissas, fortheapplicant. M. Kyprianou,Senior Counsel of the Republic with A. Vassdiades, fortherespondents. A.LOEOUP.gavethefollowingjudgmentoftheCourt.Thisis 10 an application for the release on bail of the Applicant, who is chargedbefore theLimassolAssizeCourtsittinginNicosia,with premeditated murder,and otheroffences, andwhohasbeenby orderofthatCourtremandedincustodyduringhistrial. The application isbased onsection 157subsection
(2)of the 15 CriminalProcedureLawCap.155andwefinciituseful toreferto thewholesectionwhichreadsasfollows: 20 25 «157. (I)Subject to the provision of subsection
(2)of this section, any Court exercising criminaljurisdiction may, ifit thinks proper, at any stage of the proceedings, release on bailanypersonchargedorconvictedofanyoffence,uponthe execution by such person of a bail bond as in this Law provided.
(2)Innocaseapersonuponwhomsentence ofdeathhas beenpassedshallbereleasedonbail;andnopersoncharged ofanyoffence punishablewithdeathshallbereleasedonbail, exceptbyanorderofaJudgeoftheSupremeCourt.» Undersubsection
(1)anyCourtexercisingcriminaljurisdiction mayatanystagereleaseonbailanypersonchargeorconvictedof anyoffence.Thispowertograntorrefusebailissubjecttoreview 30 onappealbythisCourtwhichwillnotentertainanycomplaintin whatever form itissubmittedagainstthe decision regardingbail exceptbywayofappeal. InthecaseofRodosthenousandAnotherv.ThePolice, 1961 C.L.R.48itwasheldthatanapplication tothe HighCourtfora 207 A. LolzouP. Kaffkaris v. Police
(1988)reviewofthedecision ofalowerCourtastobailisinfactanappeal undersection25
(2)oftheCourtsofJusticeLaw1960(LawNo. 14 of 1960) against such decision and the provisions, therefore, of sections 138 and 139 of the Criminal Procedure Law Cap. 155 relatingtoappealsshouldbecompliedwith.InfacttheCourtwent 5 on to hold that that matter, the subject of a Criminal Application, was not properly before it as an appeal, by reason of not complying withthe aforementioned sections. Thejurisdictiontherefore, toreleaseonbail,inthefirstinstance, lies with the Court seized of a case in the exercise of itscriminal 10 jurisdiction. Itmaybe mentioned here that any otherjudge ofthe DistrictCourt than the one whodealt originally with the question ofbail hasjurisdiction ifneed arises,tohearand determine a new application forbailifofcoursenewfactscameintoexistenceinthe meantime justifying such fresh consideration of the matter (See 15 lefts v. The Police
(1973)2C.L.R.87. The jurisdiction given to this Court by sub-section
(2)of the aforementioned section is only confined to instances when the offence ispunishablewithdeath.Insuchcasestheaccused person maybe released on bail onlybyan orderofaJudge ofthisCourt. 20 (See Theodossiou v. 77)e/?epu6/ic
(1963)1C.L.R.93). Onthefactsofthecaseandthenatureofthechargeswithwhich he ischarged, none of which carries the death sentence, as same has been abolished as regards premeditated murder and substituted bya mandator;sentence of imprisonmentforlife,the 25 case of theapplicant before usdoes not comewithintheambitof subsection
(2)of the aforesaid section. Thisapplication therefore willhave to be dismissed byreason of being neither directed by wayofappeal againstadecision ofthetrialCourtnorofthisCourt havingjurisdiction to entertain in thefirstplace outside the ambit 30 ofsubsection
(2)ofapplications for bail. The application istherefore dismissed accordingly. Application dismissed. 208