DAVID KUMEGA, SUING PER HIS ATTORNEY, PATIENCE BEAUTY ANKU vs. RAPHAEL KUMATSE, BENJAMIN ADJEI MENSAH [2011]DLHC15060

DAVID KUMEGA, SUING PER HIS ATTORNEY, PATIENCE BEAUTY ANKU vs. RAPHAEL KUMATSE,... [2011]DLHC15060

Date	2011-10-14
Suit No.	SUIT NO. 506/2007
Citation No.	[2011]DLHC15060

HIS LORDSHIP JUSTICE JOHN AJET-NASAM

K. O LINDSAY WITH E. O LINDSAY FOR PLAINTIFF/APPLICANTS

W. K OWUSU FOR DEFENDANTS/RESPONDENTS

[2011]DLHC15060
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >DAVID KUMEGA, SUING PER HIS ATTORNEY, PATIENCE BEAUTY ANKU<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF/APPLICANTS)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>RAPHAEL KUMATSE, BENJAMIN ADJEI MENSAH<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANTS/RESPONDENTS)<o:p></o:p>[HIGH COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;<div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0in 0in 1pt;">

SUIT NO.
506/2007&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;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;DATE: 14TH OCTOBER 2011<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL<o:p></o:p>K.
O LINDSAY WITH E. O LINDSAY FOR PLAINTIFF/APPLICANTS<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0in 0in 1pt;">

</div>CORAM<o:p></o:p>HIS
LORDSHIP JUSTICE JOHN AJET-NASAM<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top-width: 1.5pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-left: none; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-right: none; padding: 1pt 0in;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0in 1.0pt 0in">JUDGEMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>The
plaintiff commenced his action through Patience Beauty Anku against the
defendants. On the 5th day of June 2009, Patience Beauty Anku
testified as follows:<o:p></o:p>LINDSAY:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Give
your full name to the court again.<o:p></o:p>WITNESS:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; My name is Patience Beauty
Anku.<o:p></o:p>Further
the following transpired<o:p></o:p>LINDSAY:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Why are you in court.<o:p></o:p>WITNESS:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; My aunty’s husband gave me the Power of Attorney to
represent him at the court.<o:p></o:p>LINDSAY:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; What do you like to do with it.<o:p></o:p>WITNESS:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I will like to tender it in
evidence.<o:p></o:p>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>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 9th Edition at page 1290 as:<o:p></o:p>“An
instrument granting someone authority to act as agent or attorney –in-fact for
the grantor”<o:p></o:p>The
Power of Attorney Act, 1998, Act 549 is the Act that regulates Power of
Attorney in Ghana. Anything needed to be done must conform to this Act. I have
observed some anomalies in Exhibit “A”. This is the document that gives
capacity to Patience Beauty Anku to prosecute the matter for and on behalf of
David Kumega. Act 549 Section 1 (2) provides:<o:p></o:p>“(2)
Where the instrument signed by the donor of the power one witness shall be
present and shall attest the instrument”. <o:p></o:p>This
is totally not the case in Exhibit “A”. there was no witness as requ</main>