[2011]DLHC12045 Login to Read Full Case <span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:normal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua";color:#00B0F0">DAVID KUMEGA, SUING PER HIS ATTORNEY, PATIENCE BEAUTY ANKU<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:normal"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">(PLAINTIFF/APPLICANTS)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:normal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua";color:#00B0F0">vs.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:normal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua";color:#00B0F0">RAPHAEL KUMATSE, BENJAMIN ADJEI MENSAH<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:normal"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">(DEFENDANTS/RESPONDENTS)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:normal"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua""> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:normal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">[HIGH COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: black; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid black 1.5pt;padding:0cm; mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">SUIT NO. 506/2007 DATE: 14</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;"><span style="font-size: 10px;">TH </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> OCTOBER 2011<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">COUNSEL<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">K. O LINDSAY WITH E. O LINDSAY FOR PLAINTIFF/APPLICANTS,<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: black; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid black 1.5pt;padding:0cm; mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">W. K OWUSU FOR DEFENDANTS/RESPONDENTS<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">CORAM<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">HIS LORDSHIP JUSTICE JOHN AJET-NASAM<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="border-top-width: 1.5pt; border-top-color: black; border-left: none; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: black; border-right: none; padding: 1pt 0cm;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;border:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid black 1.5pt;mso-border-bottom-alt: solid black 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua""> JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:normal"><a name="_heading=h.gjdgxs"></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">The plaintiff commenced his action through Patience Beauty Anku against the defendants. On the 5<sup>th</sup> day of June 2009, Patience Beauty Anku testified as follows:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:normal"><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">LINDSAY: Give your full name to the court again.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:normal"><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">WITNESS: My name is Patience Beauty Anku.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:normal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">Further the following transpired<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:normal"><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">LINDSAY: Why are you in court.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:108.0pt;text-align:justify;text-indent: -108.0pt;line-height:normal"><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">WITNESS: My aunty’s husband gave me the Power of Attorney to represent him at the court.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:normal"><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">LINDSAY: What do you like to do with it.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:normal"><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">WITNESS: I will like to tender it in evidence.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:normal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">The plaintiff’s attorney then narrated her case on behalf of David Kumega. The reliefs sought include a declaration of title to a piece of land which site plan had been attached to the writ of summons. I discussed this procedure of attaching a document as exhibit to the writ of summons in a judgment I delivered this morning titled “Nii Okpelor Sowah Ablorh vrs. Salem Investment, Suit No. Bl 57/2007 (unreported). I do not intend to repeat myself here, hence the reference.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:normal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">The Power of Attorney had been tendered without objection by the defence and therefore marked as Exhibit “A”. There have not been the issue of capacity raised by the defendant as I came to consider my judgment. I have however detected a flaw which is core to this present action. The Power of Attorney has been definded by the Black’s Law Dictionary 9<sup>th</sup> Edition at page 1290 as:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:normal"><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">“An instrument granting someone authority to act as agent or attorney –in-fact for the grantor”<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:normal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family: "Book