NII KPOBI TETTEY TSURU III vs. THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL [2010]DLSC4144

Date	2010-05-19
Suit No.	REFERENCE NO. J6/1/2009
Citation No.	[2010]DLSC4144

ATUGUBA JSC (PRESIDING)

ANSAH JSC

OWUSU (MS) JSC

DOTSE JSC

BAFFOE-BONNIE

JSC

WILLIAM ADOTEI ADDO FOR THE PLAINTIFF.

MRS. SYLVIA ADUSU PRINCIPAL STATE ATTORNEY FOR THE DEFENDANT.

[2010]DLSC4144
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >NII KPOBI TETTEY TSURU
III<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL<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">

REFERENCE NO. J6/1/2009&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: 19TH MAY, 2010<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>WILLIAM ADOTEI ADDO FOR
THE PLAINTIFF.<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">

MRS.
SYLVIA ADUSU PRINCIPAL STATE ATTORNEY FOR THE DEFENDANT.<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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ATUGUBA JSC (PRESIDING), ANSAH JSC, OWUSU (MS)
JSC, DOTSE JSC, AND BAFFOE-BONNIE, 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;
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JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>ATUGUBA, J.S.C:-<o:p></o:p>This
case came before us upon a reference from the High Court, Fast Track/Automated
Division, Accra, presided over by Victor Ofoe, J.A.&nbsp; The facts as stated by him are as follows:<o:p></o:p>“The
property in dispute, popularly known as “La Wireless Station is the property of
the plaintiff.&nbsp; It is not in dispute that
the land of 92.490 acres was acquired pursuant to the Public Lands (Leasehold)
Ordinance of 1950 by the Government of Ghana for a term of 99 years commencing
from the 1st day of January, 1948.&nbsp;
It is also not in dispute that by
virtue of the Certificate of Title that was issued under the Ordinance the said
land was acquired for the purposes of a “Wireless Station”.&nbsp; Further it is a fact that recently the Government
of Ghana has entered unto the land which had hitherto been lying fallow for
years and had commenced extensive developments of substantial buildings not
meant for use by the Wireless Station.&nbsp;
These said developments the government is executing through a body known
as “Ghana @ 50”.&nbsp; It is plaintiff’s case
that the act of the government is in violation of the 1992 Constitution,
specifically Article 20(5) and (6).<o:p></o:p>X&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; X&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; X<o:p></o:p>It
is the contention of the plaintiff that the land in issue was compulsory (sic)
acquired not in the public interest at large, but for a specific public purpose
i.e. for the establishment of a Wireless Station for which purpose it is no
longer required.&nbsp; Consequently the La
Stool is entitled to be given the first option for acquiring the property and
the government can not put the land to any other use than use of the Wireless
Station, the only purpose for which the land was acquired.<o:p></o:p>The plaintiff has a further complaint.&nbsp; It is that succeeding governments have
compulsorily acquired large tracts of “La lands for next to nothing in
financial terms and are being allocated by the Government of Ghana to private
developers at astronomical sums of money while
the people of La “languish in poverty, squalor, hunger and state of utter
deprivation of roads, sanitary facilities and other modern amenities of life”.<o:p></o:p>It
is the same manner the present government is treating La land.&nbsp; The plaintiff contends that in so taking over
the lands, which presently is their only valuable asset, resulting in “emasculating
the development of La to discriminatory, unfair and unjust treatment to the
total disadvantage of the people of La to the advantage of some other sections
of the Ghana population contrary to the preamble and the Directive Principle of
State Policy of the Constitution of Ghana 1992”.<o:p></o:p>The
foregoing forms the grounds for what the plaintiff is claiming per its writ of
summons i.e.:-<o:p></o:p>“1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A declaration that under clauses (5) and (6)
of article 20 of the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana, 1992 the land
popularly referred to as “Wireless Station Land” situate at a part of La which
falls under the description “Cantonments” and compulsorily acquired under a
certificate of Title dated 9th August, 1957 registered as number
2488/1957&nbsp; more particularly described in
a cadastral plan numbered Z.2399D attached to the said Certificate of Title
incorporated by reference herein has
ceased to be used as a wireless station for which it was acquired and
consequently that the plaintiff is entitled to be given the first option for
reacquiring the said land.<o:p></o:p>2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A
declaration that any development of the said land other than for the purpose
for which it was compulsorily acquired is unconstitutional
or otherwise unlawful.<o:p></o:p>