EBU NTIAKO ESIA KOBINA vs. AHANTA TRADITIONAL COUNCIL AND EBU. NANA NKETSIA WEREK [2012]DLCA2970

EBU NTIAKO ESIA KOBINA vs. AHANTA TRADITIONAL COUNCIL AND EBU. NANA NKETSIA WERE... [2012]DLCA2970

Date	2012-01-02
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. H1/123/2009
Citation No.	[2012]DLCA2970

S.MARFUL-SAU J.A (PRESIDING)

C.J.HONYENUGA J.A

DENNIS D. ADJEI J.A

[2012]DLCA2970
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >EBU NTIAKO ESIA KOBINA<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>AHANTA TRADITIONAL COUNCIL
AND EBU. NANA NKETSIA WEREK<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;[COURT OF APPEAL, CAPE
COAST]<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">

CIVIL
APPEAL NO. H1/123/2009&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;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;DATE: 2012<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:&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; <o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>

</div>CORAM: <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">

S.MARFUL-SAU,
J.A (PRESIDING) C.J.HONYENUGA, J.A DENNIS D. ADJEI, 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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JUDGEMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>DENNIS
ADJEI, J.A.<o:p></o:p>This is an interlocutory
appeal against the ruling delivered by the High Court, Sekondi which refused the
Defendants/Applicants application to dismiss the plaintiff/Respondent’s suit
and plaintiff/Respondent’s suit and a further order by the trial court
declining jurisdiction in the matter for want of jurisdiction.<o:p></o:p>The facts giving rise to
this appeal are that on 11th June,1998, the 2nd defendant
herein&nbsp; and other&nbsp; filed a suit &nbsp;at the Judicial Committee of the Ahanta
Traditional Council against &nbsp;Tutuhene &nbsp;Esi Atta and others. On 30th
October, 1998, the Judicial Committee of the Ahanta Traditional Council gave judgment
against the plaintiff herein and his family. The appeal to the Judicial
Committee of the Western Region House of Chiefs and it affirmed the judgment of
the trial Court on 9th December, 2001. On 6th August 2008,
the Plaintiff filed the instant suit at the High court inviting the High Court
to declare the two judgments given against the family of the Plaintiff as null
and void because the action was initiated by a petition instead of Writ of
Summons as provided by LI 798. The defendants filed their statement of defence
on 3rd November, 2008 the Defendants /Appellants filed an
application to the trial court to dismiss the Plaintiff’s action because it was
a cause or matter affecting chieftaincy.<o:p></o:p>On 16th March,
2009 the trial High Court dismiss the defendants/Applicants application. The
defendants/applicants aggrieved by the ruling of the trial High Court filed an
interlocutory appeal against the ruling on 25th March, 2009. This
was one ground of appeal and that was “(1) that the Honourable High Court Judge
erred in law when he held&nbsp; he had
jurisdiction to continue with the hearing of the matter in this suit”.<o:p></o:p>The defendant/Appellant
filed additional ground of appeal namely:<o:p></o:p>“that
the Honourable trial Judge erred in law when&nbsp;
he failed to dismiss the Plaintiff/Respondent’s Suit as a gross abuse of
the due process of law”.<o:p></o:p>The defendants/Appellants
grounded their appeal on two main legal issues, and they are: <o:p></o:p>(1)
The suit is a cause or matter affecting Chieftaincy and<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;(2) that the action by the Plaintiff was for
Judicial&nbsp; review in the nature of certiorari
but because it has&nbsp; become time barred,
the plaintiff has come through the back door by seeking a declaration&nbsp; that the judgments by the Judicial Committees
of&nbsp; the Ahanta Traditional&nbsp; Council and the&nbsp; Western Region House of Chiefs are void.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>I will address the issue as
to whether or not this action is a cause or matter affecting chieftaincy &nbsp;which the&nbsp;
jurisdiction of the High court is ousted. At the institution of this
suit at the High court, Sekondi, on 6th August,2008 the enabling
enactment on chieftaincy in Ghana was&nbsp;
the Chieftaincy Act, 1971, Act 370. The new Chieftaincy Act, 2008, Act
759 which&nbsp; repealed the&nbsp; chieftaincy Act, Act 370&nbsp; came into&nbsp;
effect on 16th June, 2008. The determination as to whether or
not the action is a cause or mater affecting chieftaincy could be&nbsp; ascertained through the&nbsp; Chieftaincy Act, Act 370 as the rights of the
parties accrued under that law. Section 66 of Act 370 defines cause or matter
affecting Chieftaincy as :<o:p></o:p>“Cause or matter affecting
Chieftaincy means&nbsp;
a cause, matter, question or dispute relating to:<o:p></o:p>a.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
The nomination, election, appointment or
installation of a person&nbsp; to be
nominated, elected, appointed or installed as a chief or<o:p></o:p>