REPUBLIC vs. GHANA PORTS AUTHORITY AND OTHERS; EX PARTE OTOO AND ANOTHER [1991]DLCA2302

Date	1991-12-23
Suit No.
Citation No.	[1991]DLCA2302

AMPIAH JA

ESSIEM JA

AMUAH JJ.A.

GARDINER FOR THE APPELLANTS.

EFUA DICKSON (FOR NANA AKUFO-ADDO) FOR THE RESPONDENTS.

[1991]DLCA2302
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>GHANA
PORTS AUTHORITY AND OTHERS; EX PARTE OTOO AND ANOTHER<o:p></o:p>[COURT OF
APPEAL, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p>[1991] 2
GLR 534<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">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="right" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:right;
mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">Date: 23 DECEMBER 1991<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>GARDINER
FOR THE APPELLANTS.<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">

EFUA
DICKSON (FOR NANA AKUFO-ADDO) FOR THE RESPONDENTS. <o:p></o:p>

AMPIAH,
ESSIEM AND AMUAH JJ.A. <o:p></o:p>

</div>JUDGMENT
OF ESSIEM J. A.<o:p></o:p>This is
an appeal from the ruling of Lutterodt J. (as she then was) by which she
dismissed an application by the appellants to attach the respondents for
contempt of court.<o:p></o:p>The facts
may be stated briefly: The appellants’ father was for some time an employee of
the first respondent-company and the second, third, fourth and fifth
respondents were at the material time employees of the first
respondent-company.<o:p></o:p>While in
the employment of the first respondent, the appellants’ father was housed in
house No.1A/100, Brenya Street, Community No.1, Tema by the first
respondent-company. The available evidence shows that the said house was rented
from the Tema Development Corporation by the respondents for their employees. The
appellants’ father was therefore accommodated in the said house when he was
employed by the first respondent. There is evidence in the affidavits that the
appellants’ father retired from the services of the respondent-company on or
about 11 November 1973. The appellants however contend that their late father
bought the house from the Tema Development Corporation before his death.<o:p></o:p>The
respondents instituted an action against him for “(a) an order of ejectment ...
in respect of house No. 1A/100, Brenya Street, Tema; and (b) damages for use
and occupation of the said house from 11 November 1973 to the date of
judgment.”<o:p></o:p>The
appellants’ father, counterclaimed for:<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;mso-add-space:
auto;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in;mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;
border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(a).&nbsp; Declaration of title to house No.
1A/100, Brenya Street, Tema. <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;mso-add-space:
auto;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in;mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;
border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(b).&nbsp; Order releasing the title deeds of
house No.1A/100, Brenya Street, Tema to the defendant. <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;mso-add-space:
auto;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in;mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;
border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(c).&nbsp; Perpetual injunction to restrain the
plaintiff by itself, its servants, agents and all others claiming through the
corporation from interfering with the defendant’s use and enjoyment of the
premises.”<o:p></o:p>It was
while this suit was pending that the appellants’ father died. It is also
clearly established from the record that the appellants were substituted as
defendants in place of their late father on their own application to the court.
The application for substitution was filed on 2 November 1987 and it was
granted on 16 November 1987 by the High Court, Accra.<o:p></o:p>In the
meantime on 30 October 1987, and before they applied to be substituted, the
appellants were forcibly ejected from the premises they had occupied with their
father, which is the subject matter in dispute before the court.<o:p></o:p>There is
thus no dispute that at the time they were ejected from the premises, the
appellants were not parties to the suit and the known defendant</main>