[2010]DLCA3155 Login to Read Full Case <span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-right:.3in;text-align:center; line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";color:#00B0F0">GHANA HIGHWAY AUTHORITY<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-right:.3in;text-align:center; line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";color:#00B0F0">vs.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-right:.3in;text-align:center; line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";color:#00B0F0">SAND AND STONE ASSOCIATION<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-right:.3in;text-align:center; line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">[COURT OF APPEAL, KUMASI]<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:.3in;text-align:justify;line-height: 115%"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:.3in;text-align:justify;line-height: 115%"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">CIVIL APPEAL NO. SUIT NO. HI/9/10 24<sup>th</sup> MARCH 2010<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border-top:solid windowtext 1.5pt; border-left:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;border-right:none; padding:1.0pt 0in 1.0pt 0in;margin-left:0in;margin-right:.3in"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;border:none; mso-border-top-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0in 1.0pt 0in"><b><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">COUNSEL</span></b><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;border:none; mso-border-top-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0in 1.0pt 0in"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:.3in;text-align:justify;line-height: 115%"><b><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">CORAM</span></b><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:.3in;text-align:justify;line-height: 115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">MARIAMA OWUSU (MISS) J.A. (PRESIDING), F.G. KORBIEH J.A., IRENE CHARITY DANQUAH (MS) J.A<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border-top:solid windowtext 1.5pt; border-left:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;border-right:none; padding:1.0pt 0in 1.0pt 0in;margin-left:0in;margin-right:.3in"> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%; border:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0in 1.0pt 0in"><b><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">JUDGEMENT<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:.3in;text-align:justify;line-height: 115%"><b><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">JUDGMENT BY COURT</span></b><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">On the 10-6-08, the High Court, Kumasi, gave judgment in this case and held that;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><i><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">“Well I hereby dismiss the counterclaim of the defendant filed on 1-3-06.Judgment is entered for the plaintiff in respect of the two relief’s stated on the amended write of summons filed on the 5-9-05. Cost to the plaintiff is fixed at GH400”.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">Dissatisfied with the decision of the court, the Defendant/ Appellant has filed the instant Appeal.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">The Grounds of Appeal are as follows;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:1.0in;text-align:justify;text-indent: -.5in;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""> [1] The Trial Court erred when it held that, the offer letter issued by the Land Commission to the plaintiff and which was not accepted by the plaintiff constitute a valid grant.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:1.0in;text-align:justify;text-indent: -.5in;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""> [2] The Trial Court erred by entering judgment for the plaintiff on its unproven claim.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:1.0in;text-align:justify;text-indent: -.5in;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""> [3] The Trial Court erroneously dismissed the defendant’s counterclaim when there was copious evidence on record to the effect that, the defendant was in possession of the land.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:1.0in;text-align:justify;text-indent: -.5in;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""> [4] The Trial Court erred by holding that, the land was acquired under the Road Appropriation Ordinance of 1902, when there was evidence to the effect that, the land was subsequently ceded to the defendant’s grantor, at the time when the Road Appropriation Ordinance had ceased to be in force.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""> [5] The Judgment is against the weight of evidence on Record.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:1.0in;text-align:justify;text-indent: -.5in;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""> [6] Additional Grounds of Appeal would be filled on receipt of the Record of Appeal.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">At this stage, let me put on record that No Additional Grounds of Appeal were filed. The Relief sought from this Court is a reversal of judgment of the High Court dated 10-6-08.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">The brief fact of the case as can be deduced from the pleadings and the evidence on record are as follows;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">The Plaintiff/Respondent in this case, by its amended write of summons claims the following Relief’s.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:1.0in;text-align:justify;text-indent: -.5in;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""> [a] A declaration of title to all that piece and parcel of land more particularly known as SITE FOR GHANA HIGHWAY AUTHORITY bounded on the West by Ghana Telecom, on the South by Osei Tutu 11 Crescent Road on the North by the Kumasi – Sunyani Road, 285 feet along the boundary on Ghana Telecom, 690 feet along the Osei Tutu 11 Crescent Road and 250 feet on the Eastern boundary.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:1.0in;text-align:justify;text-indent: -.5in;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""> [b] Perpetual Injunction restraining the Defendants, their agent, assigns, workmen, servants and all those claiming through them from interfering with the Plaintiff’s possession and ownership of the land in dispute.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;tab-stops:6.0in"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">In their Statement of Claim, the plaintiff avers among other things that, it is a legal entity charged with the responsibility of construction and maintenance of Highways in the Republic of Ghana. The plaintiff continues that, by the laws of Ghana as regards the construction of highways, a certain area adjoining the road is earmarked as a road reservation. It is the case of the plaintiff that, at Tanoso section of Kumasi to Sunyani Highway, its has its weigh bridge construction within the said reservation. The plaintiff avers further that, due to the increase of t