KUMASI WEST LOCAL COUNCIL vs. OWUSU [1962]DLSC1482

Date	1962-03-21
Suit No.
Citation No.	[1962]DLSC1482

DJABANOR J.

T.A. TOTOE FOR THE PLAINTIFFS

ENOCH EDUSEI FOR THE DEFENDANT.

<p class="mb-5" id="contentDlCitation"  hidden>[1962]DLSC1482</p>
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: center; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;color:#00B0F0">KUMASI WEST LOCAL COUNCIL</span></b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:&quot;Open Sans&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:
&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;color:#00B0F0"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: center; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;color:#00B0F0">&nbsp;vs.</span></b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:&quot;Open Sans&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:
&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;color:#00B0F0"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: center; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;color:#00B0F0">OWUSU</span></b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:&quot;Open Sans&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:
&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;color:#00B0F0"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: center; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">[HIGH COURT, KUMASI]</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: &quot;Open Sans&quot;, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom: 1.5pt solid windowtext; padding: 0in 0in 1pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: center; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; border: none; padding: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">[1962]
1 GLR 194</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: &quot;Open Sans&quot;, serif;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</span><i><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">DATE:</span></i><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;
color:#00B0F0">&nbsp;</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">21ST MARCH, 1962.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: &quot;Open Sans&quot;, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">T.A. TOTOE FOR THE PLAINTIFFS,</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom: 1.5pt solid windowtext; padding: 0in 0in 1pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; border: none; padding: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">ENOCH EDUSEI FOR THE
DEFENDANT.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">CORAM:</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: &quot;Open Sans&quot;, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">DJABANOR J.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="border-top: 1.5pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-bottom: 1.5pt solid windowtext; border-right: none; padding: 1pt 0in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">

</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">&nbsp;&nbsp;DJABANOR J.</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: &quot;Open Sans&quot;, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">The plaintiff in this case claimed from the defendant the recovery
of the sum of £G1,325, being money belonging to the plaintiff of which the
defendant has been the custodian.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: &quot;Open Sans&quot;, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">The facts are not in dispute. On or about the 29th July, 1958, the
defendant, the treasurer of the plaintiff council, withdrew a large sum of the
plaintiffs’ money, from the bank for the purpose of paying wages and salaries
of the plaintiffs’ employees. He made some payments on the 30th July, but by
the close of work on that day a large amount of money still remained with him
unused. Since by that time the banks had closed he locked this amount, together
with other of the plaintiffs’ moneys and documents, in the plaintiffs’ safe in
his office at the treasury. Next morning an amount of £G1,325 had disappeared
from the safe. Upon inspection by the police it was found that the door of the
office was not broken into, nor any window, nor indeed the safe itself. A key
must have been used to gain access to the office and into the safe. The
defendant admitted that he kept the keys. After police investigation no charge
was preferred against anybody. But during the investigation the defendant
suggested to the police that he suspected one Gyawu, a native of Nkawie-Toase,
and formerly an employee of the plaintiff council, of the burglary. The grounds
of the defendant’s suspicion was that in 1955 Gyawu relieved him as treasurer
while he was undergoing a course at Accra, and that it was likely that Gyawu made
a duplicate key to the safe which he could have kept and used on the night of
the 30th July to steal the money. It was learnt that Gyawu was at Nkawie-Toase
on the night of the burglary. He was contacted by the police and his movements
investigated, but he too was not charged with any offence.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: &quot;Open Sans&quot;, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">In my opinion whether as bailee or as servant it is for the
defendant to prove that the money had been stolen. If he is able to do this it
will afford him a good defence to the claim: see Coldman v. Hill.1(1) The
evidence adduced by the defendant to prove this leaves me w</main>