REPUBLIC vs. BONSU AND OTHERS; EX PARTE FOLSON [1999]DLHC456

Date	1999-11-23
Suit No.
Citation No.	[1999]DLHC456

KANYOKE J

OBENG MANU FOR THE APPLICANT.

Y ATTAKORA-AMOO FOR THE RESPONDENTS.

<p class="mb-5" id="contentDlCitation"  hidden>[1999]DLHC456</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;"><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:center;
mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;
mso-border-shadow:yes"><b><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">REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:center;
mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;
mso-border-shadow:yes"><b><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></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:center;
mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;
mso-border-shadow:yes"><b><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">BONSU AND OTHERS; EX PARTE FOLSON<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:center;
mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;
mso-border-shadow:yes"><b><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">[HIGH COURT, KUMASI]<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:center;
mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;
mso-border-shadow:yes"><b><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">[1999-2000] 1 GLR 523<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="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"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">Date: 23
NOVEMBER 1999<o:p></o:p></span></p>

</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:
none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:
yes"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">COUNSEL</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:
none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:
yes"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">OBENG MANU FOR THE APPLICANT.<o:p></o:p></span></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" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:
none;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;
mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">Y ATTAKORA-AMOO FOR THE
RESPONDENTS. <o:p></o:p></span></p>

</div><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:center;
mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;
mso-border-shadow:yes"><b><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">JUDGMENT OF KANYOKE J.<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:
none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:
yes"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">The applicant is one of the widows of the late Akwasi Agyemang
Bonsu of Kumasi who died intestate on or about 25 May 1996. The late Akwasi
Agyemang Bonsu was survived by 31 children, four of whom are with the applicant
herein. No letters of administration have since been taken in respect of the
estate of the late Akwasi Agyemang Bonsu.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:
none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:
yes"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">However, despite this, the applicant alleged that sometime after
the death of the late Akwasi Agyemang Bonsu, the respondents who are two
brothers and a sister of the late Akwasi Agyemang Bonsu, met and distributed
the estate of her deceased husband and shared those properties forming the
estate amongst themselves contrary to the provisions of the Intestate
Succession Law, 1985 (PNDCL 111). When this came to the knowledge of the
applicant, she caused her solicitor to write to the first respondent, the then
head of the late Agyemang Bonsu’s family, warning him of the consequences of
their action and advising the first respondent and the other respondents herein
to first apply for letters of administration in respect of the estate of the
late Mr Akwasi Agyemang Bonsu. The first respondent also caused his solicitor
to reply to the applicant’s letter. In this reply, the first respondent rather
confirmed the distribution or sharing of the late Agyeman Bonsu’s estate.
Attached to the first respondent’s letter were three annexures showing how the
estate of the late Agyemang Bonsu was distributed.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:
none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:
yes"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">Dissatisfied with this turn of events, the applicant per her
solicitor filed a motion on notice on 15 January 1997 for an order that the
respondents should be punished by a fine or imprisonment for intermeddling with
the estate of her late husband, Mr Akwasi Agyemang Bonsu in accordance with
Order 1. r 3 of the Probate and Administration Rules, 1999 (LI 1515). For
reasons not clear to me, this motion could not be heard for almost two years
until it was argued before me on 2 November 1999. But very unfortunately, the
first respondent had by then passed to the next world; the motion therefore abated
against him by the rules of court.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:
none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:
yes"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">In moving the motion, learned counsel for the applicant referred
to the supporting affidavit filed on 16 January 1997 and two other
supplementary supporting affidavits filed by the applicant on 3 February 1997
and on 28 July 1999 respectively. The supplementary affidavit filed on 3
February 1997 was in reaction to the affidavit in opposition filed by the
respondents on 3 January 1997, whilst the further supplementary supporting
affidavit was in reaction to two affidavits filed by each of the second and
third respondents on July 1999. In his submissions, learned counsel for the
applicant contended that all the affidavit evidence available to the court
shows beyond doubt that the second and third respondents are guilty of intermeddling
with the estate of the late Akwasi Agyemang Bonsu. He therefore invited the
court to find each of the respondents guilty of the offence and punish them
accordingly.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:
none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:
yes"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">In his reply, learned counsel for the respondents referred to the
affidavit in opposition filed on 30 January 1997 by the first respondent, now
deceased, and contended that since the first respondent is dead, the second and
third respondents cannot be bound by the contents of that affidavits; hence
each of them filed his or her own affidavit on 19 July 1999. With the
permission of the court, learned counsel for the applicant submitted that since
the affidavit in opposition filed by the first respondent, now deceased, was
sworn to and filed by the first respondent for himself and on behalf of the
second and third respondents, the second and third respondents are still bound
by that affidavit. Secondly, learned counsel for the applicant submitted that
since each of the second and third respondents did not renounce the contents of
the affidavit in opposition filed on 30 January 1997 in their own respective
affidavits filed on 19 July 1999, they must still be held bound by that
affidavit in opposition.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:
none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:
yes"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">I do not think the submission made by learned counsel for the
respondents concerning the affidavit in opposition filed by the first
respondent, now deceased, is right. Order 38, r 9 of the High Court (Civil
Procedure) Rules, 1954 (LN 140A) that deals with affidavits made by two or more
deponents, reads:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes"><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">“9. In every affidavit made by two or more deponents the names of
the several persons making the affidavit shall be inserted in the jurat, except
that if the affidavit of all the deponents is taken at one time by the same
officer it shall be sufficient to state that it was sworn by both (or all) of
the ‘above-named’ deponents.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:
none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:
yes"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, se</main>