STANDARD CHARTERED BANK GHANA LTD. vs. WESTERN HARDWOOD LTD, FARROUK BARRAKEH [2009]DLSC2722

Date	2009-05-20
Suit No.	CIVIL MOTION NO. J8/50/2009
Citation No.	[2009]DLSC2722

ATUGUBA J.S.C (PRESIDING)

ANSAH J.S.C

ADINYIRA (MRS) J.S.C

OWUSU (MS) J.S.C

B. BONNIE J.S.C

JOSEPH AKYEAMPONG FOR THE APPLICANT.

EBOW QUASHIE FOR THE RESPONDENT.

[2009]DLSC2722
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >STANDARD CHARTERED BANK GHANA LTD.<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>WESTERN HARDWOOD LTD, FARROUK BARRAKEH<o:p></o:p>[SUPREME
COURT]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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CIVIL
MOTION NO. J8/50/2009&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;DATE:
20th MAY, 2009.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

</div>COUNSEL<o:p></o:p>JOSEPH
AKYEAMPONG FOR THE APPLICANT.<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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</div>CORAM:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

</div>R U L I N G<o:p></o:p>ATUGUBA
JSC:-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>The
applicant moves "this honourable court to suspend the order of the Court
of Appeal: Their Lordships Quaye, Addo and Acquaye JJA dated 30 March 2009 and
to stay execution of the judgment of the High Court, Sekondi, Coram: His
Lordship, Honyenuga dated 30 May 2008 upon the grounds contained in the
accompanying affidavit and for any further order(s) as this honourable court
may deem meet." (The emphasis is ours).<o:p></o:p>The
facts grounding this application are stated in the following relevant
paragraphs of the supporting affidavit:<o:p></o:p>"(3) On 30 May 2008, the High
Court, Sekondi, presided over by his Lordship, Honyenuga J, delivered judgment
in the suit between the plaintiff bank and the defendants.<o:p></o:p>(4)&nbsp;
In the said judgment, his lordship ruled in favour of the
defendants-respondents-respondents on their counterclaim and also awarded
general damages of Gh¢300,000 together with costs of Gh¢6,000 against the
plaintiff-appellant-applicant.<o:p></o:p>(5)&nbsp;
Dissatisfied with the judgment, the plaintiff-appellant-applicant caused
an appeal to be filed on its behalf challenging the judgment of the honourable
court.<o:p></o:p>(6)&nbsp;
On 14 July 2008, the plaintiff-appellant-applicant filed a motion to
stay execution of the judgment of the High Court, Sekondi pending appeal.<o:p></o:p>(8)&nbsp;
On 19 February 2009, the High Court, Sekondi presided over by His
Lordship, Agbevor J dismissed the plaintiff-appellant's application to stay
execution of the judgment of the court.<o:p></o:p>(9)&nbsp;
On a repeat application to the Court of Appeal, Coram: Their Lordships
Quaye, Addo and Acquaye JJA, the honourable court, on 30 March 2009 ordered the
plaintiff-appellant-applicant to pay half of the judgment debt in the sum of
Gh¢150,000 to the defendants-respondents-respondents pending the determination
of the appeal.&nbsp; Annexed and marked as
exhibit M is the ruling of the Court of Appeal.&nbsp;
It is the contention of the plaintiff-appellant-applicant that&nbsp; exhibit M amounts to a refusal of the
application for stay of execution.<o:p></o:p>(10) The plaintiff-appellant-applicant
is dissatisfied with the ruling of the Court of Appeal because in its opinion,
the defendants-respondents-respondents are currently impecunious and do&nbsp; not have the capability to pay back the money
to the plaintiff-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
appellant-applicant should its appeal be successful and has accordingly
filed an appeal against the said ruling in this honourable court.<o:p></o:p>(11) It is the prayer of the
plaintiff-appellant-applicant that the&nbsp;
ruling of the Court of Appeal be reversed and an order granted to stay
execution of the judgment of the High Court, pending appeal since the appeal
has good prospects of&nbsp; success.<o:p></o:p>(12) Your Lordships' reversal of the
ruling of the Court of Appeal delivered on 30 March 2009 would obviate any
hardship which might be visited upon the plaintiff-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; appellant-applicant in its
efforts to recover the amount of Gh¢150,000 which it was ordered to pay by the
Court of Appeal, taking into consideration the fact that the
defendants-respondents-respondents do not have liquid cash." (The emphasis
is ours).<o:p></o:p>It
is also pertinent to set out in full the ruling of the Court of Appeal (as per
exhibit M) as follows:<o:p></o:p>"Court: We have carefully
considered the issues before us in this application.&nbsp; Since the appeal is pending, it is our duty
to hold the balance evenly between the parties, taking into account, inter
alia, the issues of hardship, the entitlement of the victorious party in the
trial court and the taking of steps not to make the appeal, if successful,
nugatory. We accordingly order that the application be granted subject to
terms, and&nbsp; execution of the judgment of
the trial court stayed subject to the applicant judgment debtor paying to the
defendants judgment creditors the sum equal to fifty&nbsp; per cent of the judgment debt and also the
whole of the costs awarded in the trial court within thirty days from the date
of this order, failing which this order would lapse."<o:p></o:p>(The
emphasis is ours).<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;<o:p></o:p>From
the foregoing, it is clear that the applicant bank is seeking the following
reliefs from this court:<o:p></o:p>(a) th</main>