BEN ADJEI vs. DAVID SOON BOON SEO [2009]DLSC6154

Date	2009-01-21
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. J4/12/2008
Citation No.	[2009]DLSC6154

AKUFFO J.S.C (PRESIDING)

DATE-BAH J.S.C.

ADINYIRA (MRS) J.S.C.

OWUSU J.S.C

DOTSE J.S.C.

JAMES AHENKORAH FOR THE APPELLANT WITH GEORGE AMAGYEI.

CHARLES MBEAH FOR THE RESPONDENTS.

[2009]DLSC6154
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >BEN ADJEI <o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFFS/RESPONDENTS)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>DAVID SOON BOON SEO <o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT
/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>[SUPREME COURT, ACCRA]<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">

CIVIL APPEAL NO. J4/12/2008&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: 21ST JANUARY, 2009<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:&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">

JAMES
AHENKORAH FOR THE APPELLANT WITH GEORGE AMAGYEI. <o:p></o:p>

CHARLES
MBEAH FOR THE 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;
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
115%;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:
solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">AKUFFO
J.S.C (PRESIDING), DATE-BAH J.S.C., ADINYIRA (MRS) J.S.C., OWUSU J.S.C, DOTSE
J.S.C.<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;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:115%;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:
none;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;
mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>AKUFFO,
JSC <o:p></o:p>This is an appeal from the
judgment of the Court of Appeal dated 9th December, 2005, which upheld a
judgment of the Circuit Court dated 8th December, 2003 in favour of the
Respondents herein. <o:p></o:p>Brief Background <o:p></o:p>The Appellant is a
missionary of Korean nationality and was at all material times resident in the
Tema Metropolitan area. The 1st Respondent is the Pastor of the 2nd Respondent,
a church located in Tema. <o:p></o:p>According to the
Respondents, the Appellant promised to raise funds for the 2nd Respondent
whilst on a projected trip to Korea. Prior to his departure, the Appellant,
with the members of the church as participants, produced a video film, which
depicted members of the church living in the Ashaiman Community in abject
poverty and degradation. The purpose of the video was to curry the sympathy of
prospective Korean benefactors and foster their generosity. Upon his return
from his Korean trip, the Appellant made an open declaration to the church that
the said funds had been so raised from a benefactor. The Appellant, however,
did not disclose the quantum of the monies he had collected; nor did he hand
over any such fund to the respondent church, but retained the same in his own
bank account. He then used part of it to acquire the land in dispute herein.
Subsequently, the pastor of the church, Ben Adjei, together with the church,
acting by its trustees, sued the Appellant in the Circuit Court for a
declaration of title to the land in dispute, recovery of possession, perpetual
injunction, an order for accounts and other orders. The Circuit Court granted
to the Respondents the reliefs claimed, except the one for accounts. The
Appellant, thereupon, appealed to the Court of Appeal upon the sole ground that
the judgement was against the weight of the evidence. The Court of Appeal
affirmed the decision of the Circuit Court, and dismissed the appeal. The
Appellant then appealed to this court upon no less than 8 grounds which for the
sake of brevity may be summed up as follows:— <o:p></o:p>a.
Taking into account the claim and evidence in the matter, the 1st Respondent
herein had no locus standi in the suit and should have been struck out as a
party thereto. <o:p></o:p>b.
Since the reliefs sought by the respondents in their suit against the Appellant
‘involved the application of principles of trusts or equity’, the Circuit Court
had no jurisdiction to entertain the claim. <o:p></o:p>c.
The claim against the Appellant was a claim by a volunteer to enforce a promise
to make a gift and, therefore, could not be maintained. <o:p></o:p>d.
To the extent that the promised gift related to funds not in the possession of
the Appellant at the time of the promise, the promise was one to give
non-existent future property and, therefore, unenforceable. <o:p></o:p>e.
Since the promise did not quantify how much money was to be raised for the 2nd
Respondent, it was void for uncertainty and, therefore, unenforceable. <o:p></o:p>f.
Since the defence was that the money raised was for general missionary work in
Ghana, the trial and appellate courts erred in ‘failing to raise and consider’
the issue of whether the funds were raised for such general purposes or
specifically for the 2nd Respondent. <o:p></o:p>