AMALGAMATED BANK GHANA LIMITED vs. JOEVIDE COMPANY LIMITED AND 2 OTHERS [2010]DLCA3060

Date	2010-11-26
Suit No.	SUIT NO: HI/04/2010
Citation No.	[2010]DLCA3060

MARIAMA OWUSU JA [PRESIDING]

FRANCIS G KORBIEH JA

IRENE C DANQUAH JA

[2010]DLCA3060
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >AMALGAMATED BANK GHANA LIMITED<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>JOEVIDE COMPANY LIMITED AND 2 OTHERS<o:p></o:p>[COURT
OF APPEAL, KUMASI]<o:p></o:p>SUIT
NO: HI/04/2010&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:
26TH NOVEMBER, 2010<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:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
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</div>CORAM:<o:p></o:p>MARIAMA OWUSU JA &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [PRESIDING], FRANCIS G KORBIEH JA, IRENE C
DANQUAH JA<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:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
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</div>IRENE
C DANQUAH JA<o:p></o:p>Amalgamated Bank Ghana
Limited, the Plaintiff brought an action against the three Defendants jointly
and severally inter alia to recover the sum of GH¢75, 306.77 being the debt
outstanding on a discounted facility granted to the 1st Defendant
and guaranteed by the 2nd and 3rd Defendants.&nbsp; After the Defendants had been served with the
writ, they entered conditional appearance.&nbsp;
The Defendants subsequently filed a motion to have the writ and service
thereof set aside and/or dismissed for non-compliance with mandatory provisions
of the rules of the Court.<o:p></o:p>The Defendants reasons as
deposed to in the affidavit in support in summary were that;<o:p></o:p>a.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
&nbsp;“Three copies of Writ of Summons and Statement
of Claim were left at the offices of the 1st Defendant in the
absence of the 2nd and 3rd Defendants and therefore were
not proper service in accordance with court rules.<o:p></o:p>b.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
The
residential addresses of the 2nd and 3rd Defendants ought
to have been stated on the face of the Writ of Summons.<o:p></o:p>c.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
The
Writ of Summons itself fell foul of mandatory prescriptions for non-compliance
with the rules.”<o:p></o:p>The Defendants contended
that under the circumstances, the jurisdiction of the court to adjudicate on
issues in controversy between the parties had not been invoked.&nbsp; The Plaintiffs opposed the application with
an affidavit sworn to by a law clerk in the firm of the solicitors representing
the plaintiff.<o:p></o:p>On 18th March
2010, the High Court Kumasi, having heard both Counsel for the
Defendants/Applicants and Plaintiff/Respondent held that the service of the
Writ of Service on the 2nd and 3rd Defendants by leaving
the copies at the 1st Defendant’s office was in effect a substituted
service but done without the leave of the Court and therefore wrongful.&nbsp; The Court accordingly set aside the service
of the writ on the 2nd and 3rd defendants.&nbsp; The Court however, refused to set aside the
writ as being a nullity but directed that the residential addresses of the 2nd
and 3rd Defendants be endorsed on the writ and served again on all
the Defendants.<o:p></o:p>The Defendants
dissatisfied with and aggrieved by the ruling filed a Notice of Appeal on 30th
March 2010.&nbsp; The Defendants (Appellants)
complaint is against that part of the ruling which completely failed to address
the two fundamental points raised by the Appellants relating to jurisdiction
and the deposition to the affidavit by a person not competent to do so.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>The grounds of appeal are
as follows:<o:p></o:p>1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
“The
honorable Court erred in side-stepping the jurisdictional issues raised by the
Defendants/Appellants.<o:p></o:p>2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;