NANA KWASI AFODOO II & ORS. vs. NANA KWAKU AFRAWUAH IV [2002]DLSC6425

Date	2002-04-24
Suit No.	CHIEFTAINCY APPEAL NO. 3/2000
Citation No.	[2002]DLSC6425

BAMFORD-ADDO(MRS) J.S.C. (PRESIDING)

KPEGAH J.S.C.

ADJABENG J.S.C.

AKOFFO(MS) J.S.C.

ADZOE J.S.C.

MR. AKOTO AMPAU FOR THE APPELLANT

MR. E.A. ODURO FOR THE RESPONDENT.

[2002]DLSC6425
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >NANA KWASI AFODOO II &amp; ORS. <o:p></o:p>(RESPONDENTS)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>NANA KWAKU AFRAWUAH IV <o:p></o:p>(APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>[SUPREME
COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
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padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">CHIEFTAINCY
APPEAL NO. 3/2000&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; DATE: 24TH APRIL, 2002<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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MR. AKOTO AMPAU FOR THE APPELLANT <o:p></o:p>

MR. E.A. ODURO FOR THE RESPONDENT. <o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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BAMFORD-ADDO(MRS), J.S.C.
(PRESIDING) KPEGAH, J.S.C. ADJABENG, J.S.C. AKOFFO(MS), J.S.C. AND ADZOE,
J.S.C.<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>JOYCE BAMFORD ADDO, J.S.C.: <o:p></o:p>A
destoolment case was brought against the Defendant/Appellant herein by the
Plaintiffs/Respondent at the Judicial Committee of the Akyem Kotoku Traditional
Council. The Plaintiffs won the case and the said Tribunal granted all the
reliefs sought by them. <o:p></o:p>The
Defendant dissatisfied with the said decision appealed to the Judicial
Committee of the Regional House of Chiefs. At the settlement of the Record of
Appeal before the Senior Traditional Council Registrar, he imposed under Rules
19 and 20 of the Chieftaincy (National and Regional House of Chiefs) Procedure
Rules 1972 (C.I. 27) the following conditions <o:p></o:p>"(a)
Appellant to deposit ¢450.000.00 into the court to cover the cost of
preparation and transmission of the record of appeal to the Regional House of Chiefs.
<o:p></o:p>(b)
Appellant to enter into bond in the sum of ¢400,000.00 with two sureties to be
justified to cover any costs that may be awarded by the Judicial Committee of
the Regional House of Chiefs in favour of Respondent. <o:p></o:p>(c)
Conditions to be fulfilled within 1 month from date hereof." <o:p></o:p>The
Appellant/Appellant paid into court the sum of ¢450,000.00 on December 10th
1996 i.e. within four days after settlement of the record. He however failed to
meet the second condition i.e. signing of a bond in the sum of ¢400,000.00 with
two sureties to be justified within the stipulated one month. He later executed
the said bond on the 19th March 1997 i.e. over three months after the
settlement of the Record and he did this without leave of the Judicial
Committee. <o:p></o:p>At
the time of hearing of the appeal before the Regional House, the
Plaintiff/Respondent raised a Preliminary Legal objection to the hearing of the
appeal on the ground that the appeal was not properly before the said Tribunal
since one of the conditions of Appeal had not been complied with within the
time prescribed by the Registrar. A ruling was given on this point by the
Judicial Committee of the Regional House of Chiefs upholding the said
preliminary legal objection. A further appeal to the Judicial Committee of the
National House of Chiefs by Appellant herein on the same point was dismissed
and the National House of Chiefs also upheld the earlier decision of the court
below i.e. the said Regional Tribunal. The National House however granted the
Appellant leave to appeal to this court and hence the Appeal to this court. <o:p></o:p>The
original grounds of appeal were: <o:p></o:p>1.
That the Judicial Committee of the National House of Chiefs ignored the
submissions of counsel made before it. <o:p></o:p>2.
That the said committee misdirected itself on the law and gave an erroneous
decision. <o:p></o:p>3.
..................................... <o:p></o:p>The
additional Ground of Appeal filed later is that the Judicial Committee of the
National House of Chiefs erred in law in failing to avert to the implications
of Rule 28 of C.I. 27 and in consequently dismissing the appeal on the ground
that Appellant had not fulfilled the conditions of Appeal within the time set,
even when at the time of the hearing of the appeal, these conditions had been
met. <o:p></o:p>The
Appellant argued all three grounds of Appeal together. <o:p></o:p>The
Appellant submitted that the National House of Chiefs erred in relying on the
decision of the Chieftaincy Tribunal sitting at Koforidua dated February 14th
1992 in the case of Okyeame Kwaku Boafo v. Ebusuapanyin Kwesi Osei JC/ERHC/A.4/
to come to the decision they did for the reason that the said House failed to
take account of Rule 28 of C.I. 27 in coming to their decision, and thereby
failed to be guided by well-established practice and procedure of the courts,
in situations such as confronted both said Judicial Committees. <o:p></o:p>