PETER KOBINA ABABIO (PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT) vs. GHANA AIRWAYS LIMITED & ANOR. (DEFENDANTS/RESPONDENT) [2008]DLCA7464

PETER KOBINA ABABIO (PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT) vs. GHANA AIRWAYS LIMITED & ANOR. (DEF... [2008]DLCA7464

Date	2008-06-05
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO.: HI/141/2007
Citation No.	[2008]DLCA7464

ARYEETEY J.A. [PRESIDING]

KUSI-APPIAH J.A.

DUOSE J.A.

MRS. VICTORIA BARTH FOR APPELLANT HOLDING NENE AMEGATCHER’S BRIEF.

MR. EMMANUEL AMOAH FOR RESPONDENTS.

[2008]DLCA7464
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >PETER KOBINA ABABIO<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>GHANA AIRWAYS LIMITED &amp; ANOR.<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANTS/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>[COURT
OF APPEAL, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p>CIVIL
APPEAL NO.:&nbsp;&nbsp; HI/141/2007 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &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: 5TH JUNE, 2008<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:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
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solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;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:0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">MRS.
VICTORIA BARTH FOR APPELLANT HOLDING NENE AMEGATCHER’S BRIEF. <o:p></o:p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;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:0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">MR.
EMMANUEL AMOAH FOR RESPONDENTS.<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM: <o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

ARYEETEY J.A. [PRESIDING],
KUSI-APPIAH J.A., DUOSE J.A.<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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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
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padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;mso-border-between:1.5pt solid windowtext;
mso-padding-between:1.0pt">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>DUOSE,
J.A. <o:p></o:p>This is an appeal from the judgment of
the Fast Track Division of the High Court, Accra dated 21st of March 2005.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;At the trial the Plaintiff/Appellant sued for
the following:<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;(1) General
damages for loss of opportunities and enhancement occasioned by willful act of
the Defendants in breaching their contract of carriage of the Plaintiff to the
United States of America resulting in the lapse of his Diversity Immigration
Visa on 29th of March 2004.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;(2) An order for
the payment of special damages of ¢200,000,000.00 being the amount Plaintiff
spent in applying for the visa and other expenses made during the said
application.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;(3) Further and
other reliefs as the court may deem fit.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;(4) Costs.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;The facts on record are as follows: The
Plaintiff/Appellant won the Lottery under the United States of America
Diversity Immigrant Visa Programme. He was therefore issued with an immigrant
visa dated 30th September 2003 to expire on 29th March 2004. On Friday 26th of
March 2004 the Plaintiff/Appellant decided to embark on his journey to the
United States of America. He purchased a ticket from the 1st
Defendant/Respondent on the same day and was booked to travel at 12.30 p.m. to
New York. He duly presented himself on time for pre-departure procedures. At
the last security check point he met the Second Defendant/Respondent who was on
duty as a Security Officer of the 1st Defendant/Respondent. His duty was to
examine the traveling documents of passengers and to confirm their genuiness or
otherwise. The 2nd Defendant/Respondent examined the Plaintiff/Appellant’s visa
under the Ultra Violet Light, and observed that the security features did not
show up. As a matter of fact the visa was expected to fluoresce under the Ultra
Violet Light. But the Plaintiff/Appellant’s visa did not. The 2nd
Defendant/Respondent doubted the genuiness of the visa and after consulting his
immediate superior officer DW1 referred the visa and the holder to the fraud
office of the Immigration Service for further investigation. According to 2nd
Defendant, this action was taken to ensure that Plaintiff/Appellant fulfilled
condition 10 on the Plaintiff/Appellant’s ticket, Exhibit 3. I quote condition
10 of Exhibit 3. <o:p></o:p>“Passengers shall comply with Government travel
requirements, present exit, entry and other required documents and arrive at
airport by time fixed by the carrier or, if no time is fixed early enough to
complete departure procedures.” <o:p></o:p>Further
according to 2nd Defendant/Respondent it was the policy of the Government of
the United States of America to penalize Airlines which landed passengers
without genuine documents. The penalty could be up to USD 3,500 per passenger.
I have seen the Plaintiff/Appellants ticket Exhibit ‘B.’ It is a one way ticket
in the sum of USD 848.80.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;It is not clear from the records what steps
the fraud office of Immigration Service took before referring the
Plaintiff/Appellant’s visa to the Embassy of the United States for
verification. However the referral for verification would imply or be evidence
of dissatisfaction with the quality and or genuiness of Plaintiff/Appellant’s
visa.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;The Plaintiff/Appellant’s visa was rapidly
expiring. The following two days were Saturday and Sunday, nonworking days. In
the morning of 29th March at about 0.9.00 the Immigration Office completed
paper work involved in referring the Plaintiff/Appellant’s visa for
verification and proceeded to the Embassy of the United States. Exhibit ‘C’ was
obtained from the Vice Consul of the Embassy of the United States of America
and presented to the 1st Defend</main>