HAWA ADAMU vs. JAFA ADAMS [2007]DLCA6487

Date	2007-06-18
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. H1/360/05
Citation No.	[2007]DLCA6487

KANYOKE J.A. [PRESIDING]

KUSI-APPIAH J.A.

APALOO J.A

MR. THOMAS HUGHES FOR THE PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT

MR. JEAN MAURELLET FOR THE DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT

[2007]DLCA6487
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >HAWA ADAMU<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>JAFA ADAMS<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>[COURT
OF APPEAL, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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CIVIL APPEAL NO. H1/360/05&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &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: FRIDAY 18TH JUNE, 2007<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:
<o:p></o:p>MR. THOMAS HUGHES FOR THE PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;MR. JEAN MAURELLET FOR THE
DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT.<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border-top:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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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;<o:p></o:p>

</div><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="text-align:center;line-height:115%;
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mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;mso-border-between:1.5pt solid windowtext;
mso-padding-between:1.0pt">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>KANYOKE,
J.A. <o:p></o:p>The
Plaintiff/Appellant in this case complains of a Judgment of the High Court,
Accra, declaring the Defendant/Respondent the owner of H/no. C.444/10, formerly
H/No. C.13.13 Kotobabi, Accra. I shall hereafter use the titles of the
Plaintiff and the defendant which the parties had at the trial. I may also add
that the Plaintiff and the defendant are according to the evidence on the
record a sister and a brother respectively. <o:p></o:p>The
pleading and contention of the Plaintiff at the court below was that she
purchased the house in question in 1983 from one Adamu Kusunto [deceased] for
one hundred and eighty thousand cedis [¢180,000.00]. She was given a receipt of
purchase dated 22nd February 1983 by the vendor-Adamu Kusunto. Adamu Kusunto
also gave her a Statutory Declaration dated 19th May 1983.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;According to the Plaintiff upon purchase of
the house Adamu Kusunto took her to the said house ad introduced her to the
tenants as the new owner of the house. Thereafter, she entrusted the house to
the care of the defendant and gave him wide powers to look after the house
including receiving rents from the tenants. The Plaintiff also put two of her
sons in the house and then left for Koforidua in the Eastern Region to join her
husband. The Plaintiff said anytime she demanded the rents from the defendant
he quarreled with her even though the tenants told her that they had paid same
to the defendant. Subsequently the defendant laid a claim of ownership of the
house when the Plaintiff took him to the Rent office in respect of the rents
received from the tenants. <o:p></o:p>Later
the Plaintiff again took the matter to some Muslims Elders for settlement but
the matter was rather resolved in favour of the defendant. Not satisfied with
that settlement the Plaintiff issued a writ of summons in the High Court, Accra
against the defendant claiming inter alia ownership of the house in dispute but
lost culminating in this appeal. The Plaintiff denied that the house was purchased
by the defendant and she was only invited as a sister to the defendant, to
witness the purchase. At the court below, the Plaintiff called evidence by
herself only and tendered the Receipt and the Statutory Declaration given her
by Mr. Adamu Kusunto as Exhibits A and B respectively in support of her claim.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;For his part the defendant put up a defence
that he gave a sum of three hundred thousand cedis [¢300,000.00] to one
Mohammed Tailor to buy a house for him and left the country for the Republic of
Benin in 1983. When he returned in 1985 Mohammed Tailor took him to the house
in dispute as the house he bought for him at a cost of ¢180,000.00. The
defendant said Mohammed Tailor further told him that he caused the receipt to
be issued in the name of the Plaintiff as she was the sister of the defendant.
The defendant called evidence by himself and four witnesses including Mohammed
Tailor in support of his case.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;The Plaintiff’s complaint against the Judgment
of the trial court is based on the following original grounds and additional
grounds of appeal: <o:p></o:p>1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
“1. The learned judge failed to consider
the issue of ownership of the house in dispute.<o:p></o:p>2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
The learned Judge ignored Plaintiff’s
documentary evidence as to proof of ownership. <o:p></o:p>3.