Whenever the opinion of any living person is admissible, the grounds on which such opinion is based are also admissible.
(1) In civil cases, the fact that the character of any person concerned is such as to render probable or improbable any conduct imputed to him is inadmissible except in so far as such character appear…
In criminal proceedings, the fact that the person accused is of a good character is admissible.
(1) In criminal proceedings the fact that the accused person has committed or been convicted of or charged with any offence other than that with which he is then charged, or is of bad character, is in…
In sections 55, 56 and 57 of this Act the word “character” includes both reputation and disposition; but, except as provided in section 57, evidence may be given only of general reputation and general…
No fact of which the court shall take judicial notice need be proved.
(1) The courts shall take judicial notice of the following facts— (a) all written laws, and all laws, rules and principles, written or unwritten, having the force of law, whether in force or having su…
No fact need be proved in any civil proceeding which the parties thereto or their agents agree to admit at the hearing, or which before the hearing they agree, by writing under their hands, to admit,…
All facts, except the contents of documents, may be proved by oral evidence.
(1) Oral evidence must in all cases be direct evidence. (2) For the purposes of subsection (1) of this section, “direct evidence” means— (a) with reference to a fact which could be seen, the evidence…
The contents of documents may be proved either by primary or by secondary evidence.
(1) Primary evidence means the document itself produced for the inspection of the court. (2) Where a document is executed in several parts, each part is primary evidence of the document. (3) Where a d…
Secondary evidence includes— (a) certified copies given under the provisions hereinafter contained; (b) copies made from the original by mechanical processes which in themselves ensure the accuracy of…
Documents must be proved by primary evidence except in the cases hereinafter mentioned.
(1) Secondary evidence may be given of the existence, condition or contents of a document in the following cases— (a) when the original is shown or appears to be in the possession or power of— (i) the…
Secondary evidence of the contents of the documents referred to in section 68(1)(a) of this Act shall not be given unless the party proposing to give such secondary evidence has previously given to th…
If a document is alleged to be signed or to have been written wholly or in part by any person, the signature or the handwriting of so much of the document as is alleged to be in that person’s handwrit…
If a document is required by law to be attested it shall not be used as evidence until one attesting witness at least has been called for the purpose of proving its execution, if there is an attesting…
Where evidence is required of a document which is required by law to be attested, and none of the attesting witnesses can be found, or where such witness is incapable of giving evidence or cannot be c…
The admission of a party to an attested document, of its execution by himself, shall be sufficient proof of its execution as against him though it be a document required by law to be attested.
If the attesting witness denies or does not recollect the execution of a document, its execution may be proved by other evidence.
An attested document not required by law to be attested may be proved as if it was unattested.
(1) In order to ascertain whether a signature, writing or seal is that of the person by whom it purports to have been written or made, any signature, writing or seal, admitted or proved to the satisfa…
(1) In criminal proceedings any document purporting to be a report under the hand of a Government analyst, medical practitioner or of any ballistics expert, document examiner or geologist upon any per…
(1) In criminal proceedings a certificate in the form in the First Schedule to this Act, given under the hand of an officer appointed by order of the Director of Public Prosecutions for the purpose, w…
(1) The following documents are public documents— (a) documents forming the acts or records of the acts— (i) of the sovereign authority; or (ii) of official bodies and tribunals; or (iii) of public of…
(1) Every public officer having the custody of a public document which any person has a right to inspect shall give that person on demand a copy of it on payment of the legal fees therefor, together w…
Certified copies of public documents may be produced in proof of the contents of the documents or parts of the documents of which they purport to be copies.
Without prejudice to any other mode of proof, prima facie evidence of the following public documents may be given in the manner hereinafter shown, that is to say— (a) deleted by L.N. 22/1965; (b) dele…
(1) The court shall presume to be genuine every document purporting to be a certificate, certified copy or other document which is— (a) declared by law to be admissible as evidence of any particular f…
Whenever any document is produced before any court, purporting to be a record or memorandum of any evidence given in a judicial proceeding or before any officer authorized by law to take such evidence…
The production of a copy of any written law, or of a copy of the Gazette containing any written law or any notice purporting to be made in pursuance of a written law, where such law or notice (as the…
(1) The court shall presume the genuineness of every document purporting to be— (a) the London Gazette, the Edinburgh Gazette, or the official Gazette of any country in the Commonwealth; (b) a newspap…
Where any publication or part thereof indicates or purports to indicate the name of any person by or on behalf or under the sponsorship of whom, or the place at which or date on which, such publicatio…
When any document is produced before any court, purporting to be a document which, by the law in force for the time being in England, would be admissible in proof of any particular in any Court of Jus…
(1) The court shall presume that maps or plans purporting to be made or published by the authority of the Government, or any department of the Government, of any country in the Commonwealth were so ma…
The court shall presume the genuineness of every book purporting to be printed or published under the authority of the Government of any country and to contain any of the laws of that country, and of…
The court shall presume that every document purporting to be a power of attorney, and to have been executed before and authenticated by a notary public or commissioner for oaths or any court, judge, m…
The court may presume that any document purporting to be a copy of a judgment or judicial record of any country not forming part of the Commonwealth is genuine and accurate, and that such judgment or…
The court may presume that any book, to which it may refer for information on matters of public or general interest, and that any published map or chart, the statements of which are admissible facts a…
The court may presume that a message forwarded from a telegraph office to the person to whom such message purports to be addressed, corresponds with a message delivered for transmission at the office…
The court shall presume that every document called for and not produced after notice to produce was attested, stamped and executed in the manner required by the law.
(1) Where any document purporting or proved to be not less than twenty years old is produced from any custody which the court in the particular case considers proper, the court may presume that the si…
(1) When the terms of a contract, or of a grant, or of any other disposition of property, have been reduced to the form of a document, and in all cases in which any matter is required by law to be red…
When the terms of any contract or grant or other disposition of property, or any matter required by law to be reduced to the form of a document, have been proved according to section 97 of this Act, n…
When the language used in a document is on the face of it ambiguous or defective, evidence may not be given of facts which would show its meaning or supply its defects.
When language used in a document is plain, and it applies accurately to existing facts, evidence may not be given to show that it was not meant to apply to such facts.
When language used in a document is plain, but is unmeaning in reference to existing facts, evidence may be given to show that it was used in a peculiar sense.
When the facts are such that the language used in a document might have been meant to apply to any one, and could not have been meant to apply to more than one of several persons or things, evidence m…
When the language used in a document applies partly to one set of existing facts, and partly to another, but the whole of it does not apply correctly to either, evidence may be given to show to which…
