KESSIE vs. CHARMANT AND ANOTHER [1973]DLHC2394

Date	1973-02-12
Suit No.
Citation No.	[1973]DLHC2394

ANNAN J.A.

C. F. HAYFRON-BENJAMIN FOR THE PLAINTIFF.

MENSAH BONSU FOR THE DEFENDANTS.

[1973]DLHC2394
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >KESSIE<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;vs. <o:p></o:p>CHARMANT AND ANOTHER <o:p></o:p>[HIGH COURT,
KUMASI]<o:p></o:p>&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;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[1973]
2 GLR 194<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 0in 0in">

DATE:
12 FEBRUARY 1972.<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 0in 0in">

C. F. HAYFRON-BENJAMIN FOR THE PLAINTIFF.<o:p></o:p>

MENSAH BONSU FOR THE DEFENDANTS.<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:
<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 3.0pt 0in">

ANNAN J.A.<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>JUDGMENT OF ANNAN, JA.<o:p></o:p>The
plaintiff claims “the sum of £G50,000 or 100,000 new cedis from the defendants
jointly and severally for breach of a contract between the said plaintiff and
the defendants contained in a document dated 2 December 1960.” The writ was
filed on 21 June 1968. The plaintiff is a solicitor and barrister-at-law and
has held office as an ambassador in Monrovia, Peking and Cairo. He was first
appointed to the diplomatic service in August 1959. The first defendant is the
managing director of the second defendants - a company registered in Ghana and
engaged in the production of timber and sawn boards. The plaintiff’s statement
of claim states inter alia:<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">“(3) In
December 1960 the first defendant asked the plaintiff in his private capacity
to approach the President of Liberia and other senior officials of the
Department of Forestry to grant the defendant company a timber concession of
about 3,000 square miles to enable them to operate in Liberia. <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(4) In
consideration for this and other services the plaintiff demanded the sum of
£G5,000 or 10,000 new cedis in cash and five per cent of the shares from the
first defendant; the first defendant in the same letter offered the plaintiff a
directorship of the company which carried with it a remuneration of £G5,000 or
10,000 new cedis in case the plaintiff resigned his diplomatic service
appointment at any time. The plaintiff also accepted the offers made to him by
the first defendant and on behalf of the second defendants. <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(5) After
nearly six weeks of negotiations and discussions on behalf of the defendants
the plaintiff succeeded in acquiring the said concession for the defendants in
Liberia.<o:p></o:p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(6) Since
the defendants acquired the concession in Liberia the defendants have failed to
fulfil the conditions of the agreement and have since 1961 failed to deliver
the share certificates to the plaintiff and have also not submitted a single
statement of account to the plaintiff both in his capacity as a shareholder and
as a director despite numerous reminders both oral and written. <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(7) In
December 1967 the manager, the first defendant’s brother Patrick Charmant, of
the Liberian concession showed some papers alleged to be a statement of account
for 1966 to the plaintiff and promised to communicate with the plaintiff about
the shares and other statement of account, but this has not been done by the
defendant’s brother. (8) In the circumstances the plaintiff considers this to
be a complete violation of the terms of the agreement with the defendants.
Wherefore the plaintiff claims from the defendants jointly and severally the
sum of £G50,000 or 100,000 new cedis for breach of the agreement between the
plaintiff and the defendants on behalf of the second defendants.. .”<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The
second defendants are a company incorporated and registered in Ghana. The first
defendant is their managing director. The defendants contend that the plaintiff
was the Ghana Ambassador to Liberia at all times relevant to this action. It is
contended therefore that the plaintiff was by law precluded from demanding or
accepting any private gain whatsoever for himself as a reward for giving any
assistance of any kind to Ghanaian residents or visitors or representatives of
Ghanaian companies visiting the Republic of Liberia either for business or
social purposes. It is said therefore that any contract with the plaintiff by
the defendants is contrary to public policy. The defendants pleaded further
that even if offers of shares or</main>