[2008]DLCA6957 Login to Read Full Case <span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; color:#00B0F0">SAMUEL KWASI NTIAMOAH<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:115%;tab-stops:77.25pt"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; color:#00B0F0">vs.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt;text-align:center; line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; color:#00B0F0">KWAKU AYESU OPARE ADDO<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">[COURT OF APPEAL, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">CASE NO. H3/135/08 </span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""> DATE: 15TH MAY, 2008<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border-top:solid windowtext 1.5pt; border-left:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;border-right:none; padding:1.0pt 0in 1.0pt 0in"> <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"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">COUNSEL: </span></b> </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"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">MR. DWAMENA AKENTENG FOR PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT<o:p></o:p></span></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"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">MR. E. N. POKU FOR THE DEFENDANT/APPELLANT<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 115%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">CORAM:</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">HENRIETTA ABBAN (MRS.) [PRESIDING], YAW APPAU J.A., VICTOR OFOE J.A.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border-top:solid windowtext 1.5pt; border-left:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;border-right:none; padding:1.0pt 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-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"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;line-height:115%"><b><u><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">YAW APPAU, J.A.:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""> The application before this Court is one praying for an extension of time within which to file notice of appeal against a default judgment entered against the applicant by the High Court, Mampong. The applicant was the defendant in the court below and a Senior Police Officer. What gave rise to this case was that the applicant purchased a vehicle from the respondent who was the plaintiff in the court below. He made part-payment and promised to pay the remaining amount within a certain period. When he was unable to pay, the respondent dragged him to the court below for recovery of the remaining sum, which was then thirteen million cedis (¢13,000,000.00). When the applicant was served with the writ of summons on 17/10/06, he posted it back to the Registrar of the High Court from which it emanated with an accompanying letter that read as follows: — <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">“Dear Registrar, I received your Writ which was in actual fact fraught with many mistakes. Kindly rectify the mistakes.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""> The letter was signed by the applicant and dated 19/10/06.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""> After returning the writ of summons to the Registry of the Court, the defendant sat back and refused to enter appearance and defence to the writ of summons that was served on him. The court below, upon an ex-parte application filed by the respondent on 11/12/06, entered ‘final’ judgment in favour of the respondent in the said sum on 13/12/06, in default of appearance. The motion was headed; <b>“MOTION EX - PARTE FOR FINAL JUDGMENT AND THE COSTS IN DEFAULT OF APPEARANCE AND DEFENCE.”</b> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">The applicant was served with the ‘Entry of Judgment’ on 1/2/07, about six (6) weeks after the entry of the default judgment. According to the applicant, he instructed his lawyers to file an application in the court below to set aside the default judgment. Though the applicant did not attach a copy of this application to set aside the default judgment, records before the Court, particularly Exhibit ‘1’ that was attached to the respondent’s affidavit in opposition filed on 9/1/2008, indicate that the Court below refused to set aside the said default judgment. This prompted the applicant to file an application in the court below praying for leave to file an appeal against the default judgment out of time. This application was filed on 31/5/2007. The court below refused the application on 28/11/07. The applicant has now come before us in this application filed on 24/12/2007; i.e. 26 days after the dismissal of the application in the Court below, praying this Court to extend the time for appealing to enable him file a notice of appeal against the default judgment entered against him on 13/12/2006.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""> What the applicant, in effect is telling this Court is that he could not file his appeal within the statutory period required under the rules so this Court should extend the time for him to do so since the court below refused to extend the time for him. To the applicant, the statutory period allowed for appeals is three (3) months and he has come for an extension within the next three months as the rules of Court provide. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">Though the respondent opposed the application in an affidavit in opposition filed on 9/1/08 on the ground that there was inordinate delay on the part of the applicant in bringing the application, when it came to the hearing of the application, the applicant’s counsel told the Court that they were not opposed to the application for extension of time to appeal subject to the payment of costs by the applicant. The question however is; can this Court, under the circumstances of this case, extend the time for the applicant to fil