OILS AND FATS CO. LTD. AND OTHERS vs. HOOPER AND ANOTHER [1992]DLCA2049

Date	1992-02-06
Suit No.
Citation No.	[1992]DLCA2049

ESSIEM JA

KPEGAH JA

OFORI-BOATENG J.A.

ZWENNES (WITH HIM OPPONG) FOR THE DEFENDANT-APPELLANTS.

MILLS-GRAVES FOR THE THIRD DEFENDANT-APPELLANT.

DAWSON FOR THE PLAINTIFF-RESPONDENT-APPELLANTS.

[1992]DLCA2049
																																						<div class="restriction-wrapper">
														<div class="container-lg">
															<div class="row">
																<div class="col-md-12 restricted-content">
																	<div class="restricted-content-img-wrapper">
																		<div class="lock-icon bounce-7">
																			<img class=""
																				src="https://www.dennislawgh.com/dl-assets/dl-images/lock-content.png"
																				alt="Subscription based content">
																		</div>
																	</div>
																	 
																		<a href="https://www.dennislawgh.com/login"
																		class="btn btn-primary btn-lg"
																		style="font-family: 'open sans'; text-transform: capitalize; border-radius: 8px"> 
																		Login to Read Full Case </a>
																	 
																	
																</div>
															</div>
														</div>
													</div>
													<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">OILS AND FATS CO. LTD. AND OTHERS<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">HOOPER AND ANOTHER<o:p></o:p>[COURT OF APPEAL, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p>[1992] 1 GLR 326<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: 6
FEBRUARY 1992<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>ZWENNES (WITH HIM OPPONG) FOR THE DEFENDANT-APPELLANTS.<o:p></o:p>MILLS-GRAVES FOR THE THIRD DEFENDANT-APPELLANT.<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">

DAWSON FOR THE PLAINTIFF-RESPONDENT-APPELLANTS. <o:p></o:p>

ESSIEM, KPEGAH AND OFORI-BOATENG JJ.A. <o:p></o:p>

</div>JUDGMENT OF OFORI-BOATENG J.A.<o:p></o:p>This is an appeal against the ruling of Benin J. presiding over
the High Court, Cape Coast.<o:p></o:p>Briefly the facts are as follows: The respondents in this appeal,
took a specially indorsed writ under the High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules,
1954 (L.N. 140A), Order 3, r. 6 in which they claimed:<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:.5in;mso-add-space:auto;
text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in;mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1;
border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(1). “A declaration that Madam Mary
Crentsil was a member of the first appellant-company (Oils &amp; Fats Co. Ltd.)
in her lifetime holding 15,000 shares of no par value and that the first
respondent, Grace Hooper, by operation of law was entitled to those shares. <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:.5in;mso-add-space:auto;
text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in;mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1;
border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(2). A declaration that the second
respondent, Madam Ama Aferba, was a member of the appellant-company holding 30,000
shares of no par value. <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:
5.0pt;margin-left:.5in;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in;
mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;
mso-border-shadow:yes">(3).
A declaration that the appointment of the second, third, fourth
and fifth appellants as directors of the first appellant-company was void as
against the Companies Code, 1963 (Act 179).”<o:p></o:p>Counsel for the appellants entered a conditional appearance for
the first, second, fourth and fifth appellants and subsequently filed a defence
for them.<o:p></o:p>After counsel had filed a conditional appearance, he petitioned
the Chief Justice under section 99(1) of the Courts Act, 1971 (Act 372) to change
the venue for hearing of the case from Cape Coast to Accra. The reasons for
this petition were that:<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:.5in;mso-add-space:auto;
text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in;mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2;
border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(a).&nbsp; “The principal target of the
litigation, the appellant-company is registered and resident in Accra and does
its business in Accra: and according to Order 5, r. 1 of the High Court (Civil
Procedure) Rules, 1954 (L.N. 140A) as amended by the High Court (Civil
Procedure) (Amendment) Rules, 1977 (L.I. 1107), r. 1 (6) actions like the one
in issue ‘shall be commenced in the region in which the defendant resides or
carries on business.’ <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:
5.0pt;margin-left:.5in;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in;
mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;
mso-border-shadow:yes">(b).&nbsp;