THE REPUBLIC vs. HIGH COURT, TEMA EX PARTE; MY SHIPPING PVT LIMITED, INTERESTED PARTIES; DEE JONES PETROLEUM & GAS LTD AND OTHERS [2010]DLSC4142

THE REPUBLIC vs. HIGH COURT, TEMA EX PARTE; MY SHIPPING PVT LIMITED, INTERESTED... [2010]DLSC4142

Date	2010-04-29
Suit No.	CIVIL MOTION NO. J5/19/2010
Citation No.	[2010]DLSC4142

BROBBEY JSC (PRESIDING)

ANSAH JSC

OWUSU (MS) JSC

YEBOAH JSC

ARYEETEY JSC

CHARLES WILLIAM ZWENNES HUGHES FOR THE 1ST AND 3RD INTERESTERED PARTIES

D. K. AMELEY FOR THE APPLICANT.

[2010]DLSC4142
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>HIGH COURT, TEMA EX PARTE; MY SHIPPING
PVT LIMITED, INTERESTED PARTIES; DEE JONES PETROLEUM &amp; GAS LTD
AND OTHERS<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;[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 MOTION NO. J5/19/2010 &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;DATE: 29TH
APRIL, 2010<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>CHARLES WILLIAM ZWENNES
HUGHES FOR THE 1ST AND 3RD INTERESTERED PARTIES<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">

D.
K. AMELEY FOR THE APPLICANT.<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;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

BROBBEY JSC (PRESIDING), ANSAH JSC, OWUSU (MS) JSC,
YEBOAH JSC, AND ARYEETEY JSC<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">

RULING<o:p></o:p>

</div>YEBOAH,
JSC:-<o:p></o:p>The supervisory jurisdiction of this&nbsp; court has been invoked by the applicant
herein to quash the ruling of the High Court, Tema, dated the 18th
day of December, 2009 and for a further order prohibiting the same court from
proceeding to hear a consolidated suit &nbsp;pending before it.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>In an affidavit sworn to by one AKUA SARPOMAA
AMOAH on behalf of the applicant herein, it does appear that the facts culminating
in this application are not in controversy.&nbsp;
Dee Hones Petroleum &amp; Gas Ltd sued Tromso Shipping Co. Ltd and The
Vessel M/T “MY ARCTIC” in suit № E2/149/09 before the High Court, Tema.&nbsp; Another suit was commenced as TROMSO
SHIPPING CO. LTD V THE ENTIRE CARGO OF 9,949,799 of GAS OIL ON BOARD THE MV “MY
ARCTIC” and two others as defendants.&nbsp;
A third suit was also commenced, this time at the High Court, Commercial
Division, Accra as suit № CGS/14/09 between MY SHIPPING PVT LTD&nbsp; V CARGO OF IL CURRENTLY CARRIED BY THE VESSEL
MY ARTCTIC, THE OWNERS AND ALL PERSONS INTERESTED IN THE CARGOCL and CREST
GRADE OIL&nbsp; GAS LTD. It is on record
that the two suits at the High Court, Tema referred to above were consolidated
given the nature of the facts in the two cases.&nbsp;
The Applicant herein whose case was pending at the High Court Commercial
Division, Accra successfully applied and joined the consolidated suit at the
High court, Tema.&nbsp; After going through
the implementary process pursuant to the order for joinder, the applicant filed
a statement of defence and counter-claimed for a declaration that it had right
lien against the cargo of gas oil currently on board the “MY ARCTIC” and other
ancillary reliefs.&nbsp; After close of pleadings,
the plaintiff in the consolidated cases filed an application for directions
which was taken.&nbsp; The record in this
application shows that it was subsequent to the taking of application for
directions that the applicant filed a motion for stay of proceedings and
referred to arbitration in London.&nbsp; The
application was heard before His Lordship Offei at the High Court, Tema on
18/12/2009 and His Lordship dismissed the application and proceeded to hear the
consolidated cases.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The refusal of the application to stay proceedings
and referral to arbitration in London prompted the applicant to mount this
application to invoke our supervisory jurisdiction to quash the ruling and
prohibit the judge from proceeding to hear the consolidated suits.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>Learned counsel for the applicants filed three
main grounds for the application which for sake of clarity are reproduced as
follows:<o:p></o:p>a.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
The learned judge
erred in law when he ruled that the proper interpretation of section 40(1) and
(2) of the Arbitration Act 1961 Act 38 is that, application for stay of
proceeding and References of the matter to arbitration must be made to the
court before a date fixed for hearing and by this error, assumed jurisdiction
to hear the suit which by reason of the said Arbitration Act, the court did not
have.<o:p></o:p>b.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;