Jurisdiction in criminal matters was conferred only by statute. Thus in the absence of any express statutory limitations in the exercise of criminal jurisdiction, same could not be implied. The jurisdiction conferred on the circuit tribunal in section 44( I) of the Courts Act, 1993 (Act 459) was in respect of all criminal matters except offences which had been declared as first degree felonies, treason and those punishable by death or life imprisonment. Thus the limitation on the jurisdiction of the community tribunal under section 180 of the Criminal Procedure Code, 1960 (Act 30) could not be stretched to cover the circuit tribunal. The challenge to the jurisdiction of the trial circuit tribunal then had no backing either in statute or from the decided cases. Accordingly, the circuit tribunal was not disabled from exercising jurisdiction in the instant case. In the circumstances, the ruling of the trial circuit tribunal would be affirmed and the appellants would be ordered to appear before the circuit tribunal to enter their defence.