THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES, PENTECOSTAL CHRIST IS THE ANSWER CHURCH vs. MR. BENJAMIN OTWEY & SIX OTHERS [2011]DLCA3494

THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES, PENTECOSTAL CHRIST IS THE ANSWER CHURCH vs. MR. BENJAMIN... [2011]DLCA3494

Date	2011-11-25
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. H1/43/2011
Citation No.	[2011]DLCA3494

MARIAMA OWUSU (MISS) J.A. (PRESIDING)

F.G. KORBIEH J.A.

IRENE C. DANQUAH (MS.) J.A.

[2011]DLCA3494
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: center; line-height: 15.55pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES,
PENTECOSTAL CHRIST IS THE ANSWER CHURCH<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: center; line-height: 15.55pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">vs.<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: center; line-height: 15.55pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">MR. BENJAMIN OTWEY &amp; SIX
OTHERS<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: center; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[COURT OF APPEAL, KUMASI]<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom: 1.5pt solid windowtext; padding: 0in 0in 1pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: center; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; border: none; padding: 0in;">CIVILAPPEALNO.H1/43/2011&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &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: 25TH&nbsp;NOVEMBER, 2011<o:p></o:p>

</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">F.G. KORBIEH, J.A.&nbsp;<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">This is an appeal against the
ruling of the Sunyani High Court presided over by Beresford Acquah, J which
refused to grant an order of interim injunction brought by the
plaintiff/applicant (hereinafter referred to as the appellant) against the
defendants/respondents (hereinafter referred to as the respondents). The brief
facts of the case leading to this appeal are as follows. The appellant is a
Christian denominational church registered under the laws of Ghana as a company
limited by guarantee. The respondents are self-confessed break-away members of
the appellant/church. On the 11/1/2010 the appellant issued a writ of summons
against the respondents on which were endorsed the following reliefs:<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 38.25pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">a)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A declaration
that building Plot No. 6, Block P, Drobo, with a church building thereon, is
the property of the appellant/church.<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 7.5pt 38.25pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">b)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A declaration
that by breaking away from the appellant’s ministry or church to form a rival
body/church, the respondents had, by operation of law, ceased to be members of
the appellant ministry or church.<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 7.5pt 38.25pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">c)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A declaration
that by forming a rival ministry or church, the respondents could not use
properties (movable and immovable) of the appellant’s ministry or church to
undertake or conduct their religious activities.<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 38.25pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">d)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;An order of
perpetual injunction to restrain the respondents, their agents, servants etc
from dealing with or interfering in any way whatsoever with the property of the
church.<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Accompanying the writ of summons
was a statement of claim in which the appellant averred as follows, among
others; that the respondents used to be members of the appellant church but
broke away to form another church which was the 7th&nbsp;respondent;
that the respondents no longer had any moral, legal or social right to use the
property of the appellant church and that the 1st&nbsp;respondent,
who used to be a pastor in the appellant church, was a pastor of the 7th