OKONTI BORLEY & ANOTHER (PLAINTIFFS/RESPONDENTS) vs. HAUSBAUER LIMITED (DEFENDANT/APPELLANT) [2011]DLCA7922

OKONTI BORLEY & ANOTHER (PLAINTIFFS/RESPONDENTS) vs. HAUSBAUER LIMITED (DEFENDAN... [2011]DLCA7922

Date	2011-07-21
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL H1/21/2011
Citation No.	[2011]DLCA7922

QUAYE J.A. (PRESIDING)

KUSI-APPIAH J.A.

GYAESAYOR J.A.

MR. MOHAMMED SAHNOON FOR THE PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT

MR. GABRIEL PWAMANG FOR THE DEFENDANT/APPELLANT

[2011]DLCA7922
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >OKONTI BORLEY &amp; ANOTHER<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFFS/RESPONDENTS)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>HAUSBAUER LIMITED<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>[COURT OF APPEAL, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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CIVIL
APPEAL H1/21/2011&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; &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: 21ST JULY, 2011<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>MR. MOHAMMED SAHNOON FOR THE PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT <o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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MR.
GABRIEL PWAMANG FOR THE DEFENDANT/APPELLANT &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <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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QUAYE J.A. (PRESIDING), KUSI-APPIAH J.A., GYAESAYOR
J.A.<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>KUSI-APPIAH, J.A.&nbsp;
The respondents to this appeal, Okonti Borley and Okonti Bortey (hereinafter
called the plaintiffs) brought an action at the High Court, Accra against the
Appellant herein, Hausbauer Limited (hereinafter called the Defendant) for
declaration of title to a piece or parcel of land lying and being at South Nmai
Dzorn in the Greater Accra Region covering an approximate area of 132.25 acres.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>In their statement of
claim, the plaintiffs pleaded that they were bringing the action as Principal
Elders of the Okonti Bortey and Okonti Borley Family of Nungua.&nbsp; Apart from the declaration, they also sought
recovery of possession of the said land, general damages for trespass and an
order for perpetual injunction against the defendant and its privies.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The facts which gave rise
to the case are as follows:&nbsp; The
plaintiffs who describe themselves as principal elders of Okonti Borley and
Okonti Bortey family of Nungua claimed that their great-grandfather, one
Borquaye, the Okonti of Nungua originally acquired the land and took possession
thereof until his death in 1920.&nbsp;
Thereafter, the family has remained in possession and occupation of the
land from time immemorial with their father, Okonti Borketey in occupation
until his death in 1986 followed by the
plaintiffs sometime in 1990. &nbsp;The
plaintiff claimed that their ancestors and thereafter themselves have
been in lawful and continuous, undisturbed and uninterrupted possession and
control of all that piece of land claimed in the endorsement.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>It is the case of the
plaintiffs that, by a lease dated 9th May, 1993, the Nungua stool confirmed
their title in the said land. But when they (plaintiffs) presented
their document to the Lands Commission for registration, they discovered that
the entire parcel has been registered in the name of the defendant who has sold
and transferred portions of the land to developers.&nbsp; Hence, they issued the writ of summons herein
against them. <o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>On their part, the
defendant, a limited liability company registered under the laws of this
country, filed a 13 paragraph defence in which they denied the very existence
of plaintiffs family and their capacity as heads of that family. They
vehemently denied plaintiffs claim to ownership of the land, the alleged
possession of their great-grandfather and that of themselves.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The defendant averred that
they have been in lawful possession of their land since 1994 after a grant from
the Nungua Stool which grant has been plotted and registered both at the Lands
Commission and Land Title Registry.&nbsp; They
contended that for all the years of their possession, they never met plaintiffs
on the land.&nbsp; Defendant further averred
that plaintiffs document from the Nungua Stool was never in existence at the
time defendant’s document was executed in 1994.&nbsp;
They maintained that at the time the land was conveyed to the defendant
by the Nungua Stool there had not been any earlier conveyance of that land but
plaintiffs have gone to back date some documents and are now making fraudulent
claim to the land.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>After a full trial, the
learned &nbsp;&nbsp;<o:p></o:p>rial Judge on 30/10/09 gave
judgment for the plaintiffs and granted all the reliefs sought by them.<o:p></o:p><span</main>