MR. SAMUEL OKUDZETO ABLAKWA AND DR. EDWARD KOFI OMANE BOAMAH vs. THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL AND HON. JAKE OTANKA OBETSEBI-LAMPTEY [2011]DLSC4098

MR. SAMUEL OKUDZETO ABLAKWA AND DR. EDWARD KOFI OMANE BOAMAH vs. THE ATTORNEY-GE... [2011]DLSC4098

Date	2011-11-10
Suit No.	WRIT NO. J1/4/2010
Citation No.	[2011]DLSC4098

ATUGUBA JSC (PRESIDING)

AKUFFO (MS.) JSC

BROBBEY JSC

ADINYIRA (MRS) JSC

OWUSU (MS) JSC

DOTSE JSC

BAFFOE-BONNIE JSC

ARYEETEY JSC

AKOTO-BAMFO(MRS.)JSC

KWABLA SENANU FOR THE PLAINTIFFS.

R. O. SOLOMON (LED BY MIGUES RIBEIRO) FOR THE 2ND DEFENDANT.

SAMUEL NEEQUAYE TETTEH (WITH HIM TRITIA QUATEY) FOR THE 1ST DEFENDANT.

[2011]DLSC4098
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >MR. SAMUEL OKUDZETO ABLAKWA AND DR. EDWARD KOFI OMANE BOAMAH<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL AND
HON. JAKE OTANKA OBETSEBI-LAMPTEY<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">

WRIT NO. J1/4/2010&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: 10TH NOVEMBER, 2011<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>KWABLA SENANU FOR THE
PLAINTIFFS.<o:p></o:p>R. O. SOLOMON (LED BY
MIGUES RIBEIRO) FOR THE 2ND DEFENDANT.<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">

SAMUEL
NEEQUAYE TETTEH (WITH HIM TRITIA QUATEY) FOR THE 1ST 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), AKUFFO(MS.) JSC, BROBBEY JSC, ADINYIRA (MRS) JSC, OWUSU (MS)
JSC, DOTSE JSC, BAFFOE-BONNIE JSC, ARYEETEY JSC, AND AKOTO-BAMFO(MRS.)JSC&nbsp; <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;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

RULING<o:p></o:p>

</div>ATUGUBA,
J.S.C:<o:p></o:p>By
their amended writ dated 30/7/2010 the plaintiffs claim before this court as
follows:<o:p></o:p>“1.&nbsp; A
declaration that, by virtue of Articles 20(5) &amp; (6), 23, 257, 258, 265,
284 and 296 of the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana, 1992, the
Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing in the previous Government
of His Excellency, President J.A. Kufuor, did not have the power to direct
the sale, disposal or transfer of any Government or public land to the 2nd
Defendant or any other person or body under any circumstances whatsoever, and
that any such direction for the disposal, sale or outright transfer of the said
property in dispute or any public land to the 2nd Defendant was
unconstitutional and illegal.<o:p></o:p>2. A declaration, by virtue of Articles 20(5), 23, 257,
258, 265, 284 and 296 of the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana, 1992,
the Government of Ghana is obliged to retain and continue to use in the public
interest the property compulsorily acquired for public purpose the parcel
of land designated as Parcel No. 29, Block 12, Section 019, in extent 1.04
acres more or less, as delineated on Registry Map No. 0033/019/1988, on which
is situated by the Republic of Ghana Bungalow No. 2 located at St Mungo Street,
Ridge, Accra.<o:p></o:p>3. A declaration that the purported sale of the said
Government Bungalow by the outgoing Government to one of&nbsp; its high ranking public officials, the 2nd
Defendant, was in utter contravention of Articles 20(5), 23, 257, 258, 265, 284
and 296 of the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana, 1992, and the purported
direction by the Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing in the
previous Government of His Excellency, President J.A. Kufuor, for the disposal,
sale or outright transfer of the said property in dispute to the 2nd
Defendant smacks of cronyism, and the same is arbitrary, capricious,
discriminatory and a gross abuse of discretionary power vested in a public
officer under the 1992 Constitution.<o:p></o:p>4.&nbsp; A declaration
that the publication by the Lands Commission and the Land title Registration
Office at page 18 of “The Ghanaian Times” published on 22/11/2008 in respect of
the “Notice of Application for the Registration”&nbsp; by the 2nd Defendant of the parcel
of land designated as Parcel No. 29, Block 12, Section 019, in extent 1.04
acres more or less, as delineated on Registry Map No. 003/019/1988, on which is
situated by the Republic of Ghana Bungalow No. 2, located at St Mungo Street,
Ridge, <o:p></o:p>Accra, a step taken by the Chief Registrar of the Land
Title Registration Office to grant to the 2nd Defendant a Land
certificate in relation to the said property so as to effectuate the purported
sale of the said Government property to him, was in utter contravention of
Articles 20(5), 23, 257, 258, 265, 284 and 296 of the Constitution of the
Republic of Ghana, 1992, and thus unconstitutional and void and the same must
be struck out as such.<o:p></o:p>5.&nbsp; An Order of
Perpetual Injunction restraining the Chairman of the Lands Commission and the
Chief Registrar of the Land Title Registration Office, their workers and agents
from perfecting the registration of the parcel of land designated as Parcel No.
29, Block 12, Section 019, in extent 1.04 acres more or less, as delineated on
Registry Map No. </main>