RICHARD AWUKU SEDDOH (PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT) vs. STANDARD CHARTERED BANK (DEFENDANTS/RESPONDENTS) [2008]DLCA7503

RICHARD AWUKU SEDDOH (PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT) vs. STANDARD CHARTERED BANK (DEFENDAN... [2008]DLCA7503

Date	2008-02-07
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO.: H1/302/2005.
Citation No.	[2008]DLCA7503

AKAMBA J.A. PRESIDING

ANIM JUSTICE OF APPEAL

F. KUSI APPIAH J.A

DICK K ANYADI FOR PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT.

MR. JOSEPH AKYEAMPONG OF ZOE AKYEA AND CO. FOR DEFENDANT/ RESPONDENT.

[2008]DLCA7503
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >RICHARD AWUKU
SEDDOH<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>STANDARD
CHARTERED BANK<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANTS/RESPONDENTS)<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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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">CIVIL APPEAL NO.:
H1/302/2005.&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; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;DATE: 7TH
FEBRUARY 2008.<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>DICK
K ANYADI FOR PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT. <o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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MR. JOSEPH AKYEAMPONG OF ZOE AKYEA AND
CO. FOR DEFENDANT/ RESPONDENT.<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:<o:p></o:p>AKAMBA
J.A. PRESIDING, ANIM JUSTICE OF APPEAL, F. 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:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
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mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>AKAMBA,
J.A.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;In this appeal, the plaintiff/appellant
(hereinafter referred as plaintiff) was until 1992 an employee of the
defendant/respondent bank (hereinafter simply referred as the defendant)
wherein he held the position of Supervisor in the Customer Services section of
the foreign department. In or about 1992 an internal fraud was uncovered in the
aforesaid foreign department of the defendant involving the secret siphoning of
the bank’s money into two foreign currency accounts known as the Ishmael Lamptey account and the Paul Davies account. Following internal
investigations by the defendant bank involving the use of both its internal and
international investigative team, a report was made to the Police and the
plaintiff and two others were arrested and detained by the police. They were
detained in police cells from 30th January to 3rd February 1992 and then at
James Fort Prison from 26th May 1992 to 6th June 1992. The plaintiff was
subsequently charged and prosecuted before the Public Tribunal Accra for
causing monetary loss to the defendant bank as well as for gross negligence
from May 1992. The trial was almost at its conclusion when the Public Tribunals
were abolished or ceased to function. This however was not the end of the
matter for fresh charges were proffered against the plaintiff on the same
facts, this time before the High Court Accra. After a full trial, the plaintiff
was acquitted and discharged on 28th February 2003. <o:p></o:p>Meanwhile
the defendant bank had by its letter dated 16th April 1992 terminated
plaintiff’s employment. They cited two grounds for the termination namely
irregularities at the Foreign Business Centre and payments allegedly authorized
by the plaintiff into the account of one Ishmael Lamptey based upon a photocopy
of a forged National Westminster Bank Plc letter and thereby failing to protect
the bank’s interest by not demanding and seeing the original letter to
establish the authenticity of the transaction. <o:p></o:p>Following
his acquittal on the criminal charges, the plaintiff formally applied to be
reinstated into the bank relying on a collective agreement between the bank and
its unionized staff, which according to plaintiff is the basis of the contract
of his employment with the defendant. The defendant bank simply refused to
reinstate the plaintiff. The bank proceeded further and converted an outstanding
housing loan the plaintiff had obtained as an employee at an exceptionally low
rate of interest payable over a long period, into a commercial loan attracting
commercial rate of interest and demanded immediate repayment. Faced with the
foregoing challenges, the plaintiff filed a suit at the High Court (Fast Track)
claiming against the defendant the following reliefs:<o:p></o:p>(i)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
A
declaration that the defendant’s suspension of plaintiff in or about 4th
February, 1992 without any pay or allowances whatsoever was in breach of
Article 14 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement applicable to plaintiff at
the time. <o:p></o:p>(ii)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
&nbsp;A declaration that terminating the plaintiff’s
employment and failing or refusing to reinstate him despite being proven
innocent of the crime alleged and or charged against him is tantamount to
wrongfully dismissing him contrary to the terms of his employment with the
defendants.<o:p></o:p>(iii)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
&nbsp;&nbsp;Damages
for wrongful dismissal.<o:p></o:p>(iv)