LORIA BARTELS (PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT) vs. EMMANUEL IHEME (DEFENDANT/APPELLANT) [2006]DLCA7113

Date	2006-11-17
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. H1/267/2005
Citation No.	[2006]DLCA7113

QUAYE J.A (PRESIDING)

KANYOKE J.A

KUSI-APPIAH J.A

MR. KWAKU PAINTSIL FOR PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT

MR. MOHAMMED SAHNOON FOR DEFENDANT/APPELLANT

[2006]DLCA7113
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >LORIA BARTELS<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>EMMANUEL IHEME<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>[COURT OF APPEAL,
ACCRA]<o:p></o:p>CIVIL
APPEAL NO. H1/267/2005&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;DATE: 17TH NOVEMBER, 2006<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border-top:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
115%;border:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;mso-border-bottom-alt:
solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0in 1.0pt 0in">COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
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solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0in 1.0pt 0in">MR.
KWAKU PAINTSIL FOR PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT <o:p></o:p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
115%;border:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;mso-border-bottom-alt:
solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0in 1.0pt 0in">MR.
MOHAMMED SAHNOON FOR DEFENDANT/APPELLANT.<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:&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;&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;<o:p></o:p>QUAYE
J.A (PRESIDING), KANYOKE J.A, KUSI-APPIAH J.A<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border-top:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
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mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0in 1.0pt 0in">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>KANYOKE
J. A. <o:p></o:p>This appeal is against the judgment of the
High Court, Accra dated the 22nd day of April 2004 in favour of the
plaintiff/Respondent (hereinafter called the Respondent) for the sum of 66,000
United States dollars being the balance of the sum of 70,000 United States
dollars the defendant/appellant (hereinafter called the appellant) demanded and
received from the Respondent under the false representation that he (the
appellant) had 250,000 United States dollars with a cousin called Mr. Barry in
the U. K and that the Respondent could contact Mr. Barry for that money to
enhance her business and also pay herself by way of refund of her 70,000 United
states dollars. When the Respondent contacted the said Mr. Barry in the United
Kingdom Mr. Barry told her that the appellant had no such money in the U.K.
Back in Ghana the respondent made several repeated demands for a refund of the
70,000 United States dollars from the appellant without success hence the
action.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;In addition to initiating these civil
proceedings for the refund of her money, the Respondent also reported the
matter to the police in Ghana and the appellant (a Nigerian National) was
arrested and prosecuted before the circuit Tribunal, Accra for fraud. He was
found guilty and convicted. The record of proceedings indicates that before the
Circuit Tribunal could give its judgment the appellant had absconded from Ghana
in February 2000. Upon the order of the Circuit Tribunal, a vehicle belonging
to the appellant was auctioned and the proceeds used to defray part of the
70,000 United States dollars owed the Respondent leaving a balance of U.S
66,000.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;It was upon these facts that the High Court
entered judgment in favour of the Respondent for the balance of 66,000 United
States dollars with cost upon trial. <o:p></o:p>The
appellant feeling aggrieved by the judgment has appealed to this court on the
following grounds of appeal:<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;"(i)
The judgment of the court is against the weight of evidence<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;(ii) The judgment was not warranted by the
rules of procedure as the defendant was not heard on the address filed by the
plaintiff which was served on the defendant on the date of delivery of the
judgment. Under the circumstances there was a breach of the rules of natural
justice. <o:p></o:p>(iii) The learned judge erred in
entering judgment for the plaintiff as the plaintiff woefully failed to
discharge the burden of proof to establish her case.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;(iv) The learned judge erred in finding that
the plaintiff’s association with the defendant grew to the extent that the
plaintiff was getting foreign cash from the defendant when in fact there was no
record in support of this finding. <o:p></o:p>(v) The learned judge further erred in
finding that there was an order from the criminal trial that directed the
auctioning of the defendant’s vehicle when no such order was adduced in
evidence by the plaintiff.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;(vi) The learned judge further erred in law by
awarding interest on the judgment debt from 30th December 1996 when the
plaintiff by her writ of summons statement of claim and evidence clearly
indicated that the debt was as a result of a transaction entered into in
1997."<o:p></o:p>