BOTCHWEY vs. STATE INSURANCE CORPORATION [1993]DLCA717

Date	1993-12-16
Suit No.
Citation No.	[1993]DLCA717

LAMPTEY JA

ESSIEM JA

AMUAH JA

KWAME TETTEH (WITH HIM M A Y FIE) FOR THE DEFENDANT-APPELLANTS.

JAMES AHENKORAH (WITH HIM J. YEBOAH) FOR THE PLAINTIFF-RESPONDENT.

<p class="mb-5" id="contentDlCitation"  hidden>[1993]DLCA717</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;"><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; 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 lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:
&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;color:#00B0F0">BOTCHWEY</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; 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 lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:
&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;color:#00B0F0">vs.</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; 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 lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:
&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;color:#00B0F0">STATE INSURANCE
CORPORATION</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; 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 lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">[COURT OF APPEAL,
ACCRA]</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif">[1993-94]
1 GLR 89&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; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">DATE: 16 DECEMBER 1993</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>

</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:107%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif">COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif">KWAME
TETTEH (WITH HIM M A Y FIE) FOR THE DEFENDANT-APPELLANTS.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;border:none;
mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">JAMES AHENKORAH (WITH HIM J. YEBOAH)
FOR THE PLAINTIFF-RESPONDENT.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:107%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif">CORAM:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;border:none;
mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">LAMPTEY, ESSIEM AND AMUAH JJA<o:p></o:p></span></p>

</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

</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;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">On 2 October 1987 one Ebenezer Tetteh Amartei, in his
capacity as head of Nii Armah Sogblah family of Osu, on behalf of the said
family and the people of Haatso (hereinafter referred to as the plaintiff) sued
the State Insurance Corporation (hereinafter referred to as the defendant) and
sought the reliefs indorsed on tile writ of summons. In due course, the
Attorney-General was by an order of the court joined as the second defendant.
Briefly put, the claim of the plaintiff was that the President had no lawful
power to compulsorily acquire land for the benefit, use and purposes of the
defendant. The plaintiff further claimed that the entry of the defendant on the
land in dispute constituted actionable trespass. The defence put forward by the
defendant and the Attorney-General was that the President had lawful authority
to acquire the land in dispute, and to vest it in the defendant.<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 lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">At the end of the trial on the merits, judgment was
entered for the plaintiff for the reliefs he claimed except the claim for
damages for trespass which the court dismissed: see Amartei v State Insurance
Corporation [1992] 2 GLR 86. The defendant was aggrieved by the judgment and
appealed to this court. The plaintiff was dissatisfied with the dismissal of
his claim for damages for trespass and asked this court to set aside the order
dismissing that head of claim, and further to award him damages for trespass.<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 lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">The facts which gave rise to the instant litigation are
fairly simple. The defendant was desirous of acquiring a fairly large tract of
land in order to develop it into a housing estate. For the above purpose the
defendant selected land in the Haatso area. On inquiries as to ownership of the
land, the defendant learnt that five different and unrelated families each laid
claim to ownership of the tract of land. In the circumstances, the defendant
sought the assistance of the Lands Commission to enable the defendant acquire
the tract of land by resorting to compulsory acquisition. The Lands Commission
therefore purported to compulsorily acquire the land by resorting to the power
granted by the State Lands Act, 1962 (Act 125). The defendant in the meantime
entered the land in dispute and commenced its project. The plaintiff took the
instant action to test the legality of the purported compulsory acquisition and
the entry on to the land by the defendant at the time it entered it.<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 lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">One ground of appeal argued with considerable force was
that the trial judge erred in law when she held that the State Lands
(Accra-Greenhill-Legon-Site for State Insurance Corporation (SIC)) Instrument,
1979 (EI 58)) was ultra vires the Commissioner for Lands, and was therefore of
no legal force and effect. He argued that the finding by the trial judge that
the defendant cannot be a beneficiary of land compulsorily acquired under Act
125 was erroneous in law. He contended that the defendant is a “person” within
the meaning and intendment of Act 125 and therefore can lawfully be a
beneficiary of land compulsorily acquired pursuant to Act 125. He submitted
that the Commissioner for Lands was clothed with lawful authority by section 1
(1) of Act 125 to sign EI 58 of 1979. He submitted that EI 58 of 1979 was a
lawful instrument and must he given its legal force and effect by this court.<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 lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">In reply, learned counsel for the plaintiff submitted
that the trial judge was right in law in holding that EI 58 of 1979 was a
nullity and was void ab i</main>