EKUONA CONSTRUCTION CO. LTD. vs. BANK FOR HOUSING AND CONSTRUCTION [1987]DLHC2009

Date	1987-05-12
Suit No.
Citation No.	[1987]DLHC2009

AMPIAH J.A.

OWUSU-YEBOAH (WITH HIM MISS GLORIA AKUFFO) FOR THE PLAINTIFF-COMPANY.

K. A. A. MATE FOR THE DEFENDANT-BANK.

[1987]DLHC2009
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B0F0">EKUONA CONSTRUCTION CO. LTD.<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B0F0">vs.<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B0F0">BANK FOR HOUSING AND CONSTRUCTION<o:p></o:p>[HIGH COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p>[1992] 2 GLR 227<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>OWUSU-YEBOAH (WITH HIM MISS GLORIA AKUFFO) FOR THE
PLAINTIFF-COMPANY.<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

K. A. A. MATE FOR THE DEFENDANT-BANK. <o:p></o:p>

</div>JUDGMENT OF AMPIAH J.A.<o:p></o:p>The plaintiff is a road and building construction company
incorporated as a limited liability company under the laws of Ghana. The
defendant is a bank incorporated under the laws of Ghana. By a series of
international agreements between the Government of the Republic of Ghana and
the World Bank—it is not clear on the evidence whether it is the International
Bank for Reconstruction and Development or the World Bank itself—the Government
of Ghana obtained a credit loan from the World Bank for the purpose of
financing Ghana’s roads maintenance projects. For our purpose, it is not
necessary to know the intricacies of these agreements. It suffices to know
however that this loan facility was, by an agreement, to be implemented by the Bank
for Housing and Construction (B.H.C.), the defendant herein and the Ghana
Highway Authority (G.H.A.).<o:p></o:p>Under one of the projects dubbed “the Second Highway Project”, the
B.H.C. was to procure creditable Ghanaian road contractors to carry out road
maintenance works to be awarded by G.H.A. The loans were to be given to these
contractors by way of provision of equipment, plant and machinery which were to
be paid for by these contractors together with interest from payment vouchers
to be issued by G.H.A. to them, for work done under the various contract works
awarded them.<o:p></o:p>The plaintiff-company whose business included road construction
and maintenance applied for and was accepted for the Second Highway Project. I
should say here that the plaintiff-company was not a stranger to these
projects. It took part in the First Highway Project which from the evidence it
performed creditably. It could therefore be reasonably inferred that it was in
appreciation of its performance in the First Highway Project that it was
considered in the Second Highway Project.<o:p></o:p>For the purpose of the Second Highway Project also, a series of
agreements were entered into between the plaintiff-company and B.H.C. whereby
certain equipment referred to in the statement of claim were released to the
plaintiff-company for work on contracts awarded it by G.H.A. The
plaintiff-company worked on the project for about three years when B.H.C.
claiming that the plaintiff-company had breached the terms of the agreement
terminated the contract and seized the equipment. The plaintiff-company
contended persistently that it had not breached the contract and that the
seizure of the equipment was wrongful and unlawful. This action was therefore
brought by the plaintiff-company, against B.H.C., claiming:<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:.75in;mso-add-space:auto;
text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in;mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo8;
border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(1). “A declaration that the
impoundage by the defendant of the equipment, plant and machinery specified in
the accompanying statement of claim is wrongful and unlawful. <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:.75in;mso-add-space:auto;
text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in;mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo8;
border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(2). An order for their return by
the defendant to the plaintiff. <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:.75in;mso-add-space:auto;
text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in;mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo8;
border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(3). An order for perpetual injunction
restraining the defendant, its servants and agents from disposing of the said
plant and machinery to the prejudice of the plaintiff or interfering with the
plaintiff’s interest therein. <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:
5.0pt;margin-left:.75in;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in;
mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo8;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;
mso-border-shadow:yes">(4).