[1999]DLCA282 Login to Read Full Case <span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><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: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;color:#00B0F0">GHANA COMMERCIAL BANK LTD</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;color:#00B0F0">vs.</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;color:#00B0F0">NAOS HOLDINGS LTD</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: center; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">[COURT OF APPEAL, ACCRA]</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom: 1.5pt solid windowtext; padding: 0in 0in 1pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; border: none; padding: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">[1999-2000] 1 GLR 485 </span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">DATE: 13</span><sup><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">TH</span></sup><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;"> MAY, 1999</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">COUNSEL: <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom: 1.5pt solid windowtext; padding: 0in 0in 1pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; border: none; padding: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">S K B ASANTE & ASSOCIATES FOR THE DEFENDANT-APPELLANT.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; border: none; padding: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">AMARTEIFIO & CO FOR THE PLAINTIFF-RESPONDENT.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">CORAM: <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom: 1.5pt solid windowtext; padding: 0in 0in 1pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; border: none; padding: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">FORSTER, BENIN AND AFREH JJA</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 115%;mso-outline-level:1"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></b></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="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5pt; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">BENIN JA.</span></u></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">The question raised in the court below was whether the originating process adopted by the plaintiffs in seeking redress of a grievance it had against the defendants was appropriate. The plaintiffs claimed to be the holders in due course of five promissory notes issued by the defendants in favour of a company called Sabat Motors to the order of Eaglet Corporation Ltd. The plaintiffs’ came into the picture apparently because Eaglet Corporation indorsed the promissory notes in their favour, but which were dishonoured by the defendants upon presentation for payment on the due date. The plaintiffs went to the High Court by way of an originating summons seeking what happens to be the court’s construction of these instruments as to whether by them they were entitled to payment with interest at the current bank rate.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">The defendants filed an application to strike out this originating process on the grounds that there are several facts in dispute which make the process adopted “irregular, improper and constitutes an abuse of the process of the court . . .” The facts alleged to be in dispute were set out in the affidavit in support of the application to which I shall make reference very shortly.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">The plaintiffs opposed the application on the ground that they only sought the court’s construction of the documents and to determine the rights of the plaintiffs in relation to the said documents. The plaintiffs also provided rebuttal documentary evidence by way of affidavit annexures.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt