Officer In Charge, Cid v. Soris – SLR – sllr 2006 volume 3 page 375

Brief
In the case between the Officer in Charge, CID, and Soris, key issues arose concerning the interpretation of Section 25(1)(a) of the Debt Recovery (Special Provisions) Act (No. 2 of 1990, as amended). The dispute focused on whether the Act’s section should be construed narrowly to benefit lending institutions exclusively or interpreted broadly to apply to any transaction involving dishonoured cheques, regardless of the party involved. The proceedings addressed whether statutory construction is confined by the statute’s title and whether the phrase “any person” extends to parties beyond traditional lending institutions. It was held that Section 25 is self-contained, and its plain wording is decisive, affirming that statutory interpretation depends on substance rather than titles or