[2008]DLHC16580 Login to Read Full Case <span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-right:-.35pt;text-align:center"><b><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"; color:#00B0F0">DEDE KOSEY YOHUNU, ATTA KESENU YOHUNU<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-right:-.35pt;text-align:center"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"">(PLAINTIFFS)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-right:-.35pt;text-align:center"><b><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"; color:#00B0F0">vs.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-right:-.35pt;text-align:center"><b><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"; color:#00B0F0">ANNIE KUMAH AGBETI & 3 ORS<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-right:-.35pt;text-align:center"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"">(DEFENDANTS)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-right:-.35pt;text-align:center"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">[HIGH COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:-.35pt;text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua""> </span></p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: black; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -0.35pt;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt: solid black 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><a name="_heading=h.gjdgxs"></a><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">SUIT NO. AL 133/2006 DATE: 31<sup>ST</sup> OCTOBER, 2008<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">COUNSEL<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><em><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";font-style:normal">MARY OKPELOR REPRESENTING DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT/APPLICANT <o:p></o:p></span></em></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"">TAMAKLOE REPRESENTING APPLICANTS/RESPONDENTS<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua"">ERNEST THOMPSON FOR 3RD DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT/APPLICANT<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;"> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">MR. JOHN KLU FOR APPLICANT/RESPONDENT<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:-.35pt;text-align:justify"><b><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">CORAM<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:-.35pt;text-align:justify"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">HIS LORDSHIP SAMUEL K. A. ASIEDU J. <o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="border-top-width: 1.5pt; border-top-color: black; border-left: none; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: black; border-right: none; padding: 1pt 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -0.35pt;"> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;border:none; mso-border-top-alt:solid black 1.5pt;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid black 1.5pt; padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><b><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">RULING<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:-.35pt;text-align:justify;line-height: 115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:-.35pt;text-align:justify;line-height: 115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">The Plaintiffs herein issued a writ of summons against the four defendants for reliefs endorsed on the writ. After the close of pleadings the parties and their lawyers set down two of the issues raised in the application for directions to be trial first.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:-.35pt;text-align:justify;line-height: 115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:-.35pt;text-align:justify;line-height: 115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">Evidence was therefore taken in respect of those two issues and the court differently constituted made a determination on those issues.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:-.35pt;text-align:justify;text-indent: 36.0pt;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:-.35pt;text-align:justify;line-height: 115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">During the taking of evidence in respect of the trial of the two issues set down by the Court a witness who is a member of the family of the 3rd defendant’s family, gave evidence to the effect that in order to protect the family property from being dissipated or lost, large parcels of the family land have been given and registered in the names of 4 person as trustees to hold the land in trust for the family and that those parcels of land have not been sold to the said trustees.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:-.35pt;text-align:justify;line-height: 115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:-.35pt;text-align:justify;line-height: 115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">Upon this revelation, the 3<sup>rd</sup> defendant who is the head of the family applied ex-parte for an order of the Court upon the 4<sup>th</sup> defendant to revoke and expunge from its records any registered instrument in respect of Nmai Dzorn lands belongings to the Okpelor Sowah Din family granted in favour of Theophilus Mensah, Yakubu Abdallah and Nicholas Tawiah and any other registration deriving from the said registration. The court granted the application and made the order accordingly.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:-.35pt;text-align:justify;line-height: 115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:-.35pt;text-align:justify;line-height: 115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">Dissatisfied with the application and the consequent order of the court which was dated the 22<sup>nd</sup> day of May, 2008, trustees issued a writ in Suit No. BL. 457/2008 against the 3<sup>rd</sup> defendant herein, the 4<sup>th</sup> defendant herein and Jacob Okpelor Mensah and the Land Title Registry. Subsequently, Suit No. BL. 457/2008 was settled by the parties and the 3<sup>rd</sup> defendant herein agreed to cede certain parcels of land to the trustees in accordance with a Memorandum of Understanding. As a result another application, albeit, exparte was brought to this court to vary the order of the court made on the 22<sup>nd</sup> May 2008.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:-.35pt;text-align:justify;line-height: 115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:-.35pt;text-align:justify;text-indent: 13.5pt;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">Following from the foregoing, Deccon Limited and four (4) other persons filed a motion on Notice on the 4/7/2008 in this matter. Their main reason for making or bringing this application is that they have acquired various interest in the land which was being held in trust by the four trustees and that being so, that interest and documents cannot be revoked and their documents expunged from the records of the 4<sup>th</sup> defendant herein without them being given a hearing first and foremost. The 3<sup>rd</sup> defendant filed an affidavit in opposition to the application filed on the 4/7/2008. And on the 23/10/2008, the 3<sup>rd</sup> defendant again filed a Motion on Notice for an Order of the court to strike out and dismiss the application filed on the 4/7/2008 by Deccon Limited and the 4 others. Hence it is the application of the 3<sup>rd</sup> defendant herein filed on the 23/10/2008 to which Deccon Limited and the 4 others responded to by filing an affidavit in opposition that is the subject of this ruling after listening to arguments and submissions by counsel for the parties.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:-.35pt;text-align:justify;text-indent: 13.5pt;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:-.35pt;text-align:justify;text-indent: 13.5pt;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">From the evidence before me I find that the respondents herein are complete strangers to this suit. This fac