[2012]DLCA4494 Login to Read Full Case <span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";color:#00B0F0">BENJAMIN ABBEY ADDAWOO</span></b><span class="NoSpacingChar"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><span class="NoSpacingChar"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">(CO-DEFENDANT/APPELLANT)</span></i></span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";color:#00B0F0"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";color:#00B0F0">vs.</span></b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS""><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";color:#00B0F0">EMMANUEL OKESSON</span></b><span class="NoSpacingChar"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center"><span class="NoSpacingChar"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"">(PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><span class="NoSpacingChar"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; color:#00B0F0">AND<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";color:#00B0F0">ALHAJI YUSIF IBRAHIM, DARA SALAM GROUP LTD., MR. AMOAKOHENE<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";color:#00B0F0">LORIS TRADING CO. LTD. AND MR. JAMES<span class="NoSpacingChar"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span class="NoSpacingChar"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">(DEFENDANTS)<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS""><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">[COURT OF APPEAL, ACCRA]</span><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;border:none; mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">CIVIL APPEAL SUIT NO: H1/172/2012</span></b><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma"> </span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">DATE:</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""> 20<sup>TH</sup> DECEMBER, 2012<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"">COUNSEL: <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">MR. SAMUEL QUANSAH ANSAH FOR CO-DEFENDANT/APPELLANT<u><o:p></o:p></u></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">MR. S. K. AMOAH FOR PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT<u><o:p></o:p></u></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"">CORAM: <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">KUSI-APPIAH J.A. (PRESIDING), KORBIEH F J.A. AND ADUAMA OSEI J.A.<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%; border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in; mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.25in;text-align:justify"><b><u><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">KUSI-APPIAH, J.A.</span></u></b><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">: </span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">This is an appeal against the decision of the High Court (Fast Track Division), Accra dated 21<sup>st</sup> April, 2011, in favour of the plaintiff/respondent against the defendants and co-defendant/appellant. I will refer to the parties in the manner they appeared at the court below.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.25in;text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">The case of the plaintiff as gathered from his pleadings and evidence at the trial was that, on or about 20<sup>th</sup> day of November, 2003, he obtained a 30 year lease from Akua Dede as lessor in respect of the land in dispute, situate at Kokomlemle, Accra. The said lease executed in favour of the plaintiff was tendered in evidence as Exhibit ‘A’.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.25in;text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">According to the plaintiff, prior to the grant of the land to him, the same had been repossessed from a previous lessee, Alfred Kofi Gyarteng by Akua Dede. However, he averred that the disputed land and others have been the subject of a pending estate matter at the High Court, Accra.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.25in;text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">It is the case of the plaintiff that the grant of the land to him was brought to the notice of the court and all parties in the said suit pursuant to the Order of the court, an amount of ¢30,000,000 (GH¢3,000.00) being 5 years rent advance was paid into court.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.25in;text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">The plaintiff testified that after the acquisition, he went into immediate occupation and possession of the land and demolished structures thereon to make way for the construction of commercial property. But the construction was stalled because the co-defendant persistently used land guards in preventing the said construction.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.25in;text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">The plaintiff contended that without his consent and/or permission, the defendants went into the disputed land and started developing same on the pretext that the co-defendant had granted the same to the 1<sup>st</sup> and 2<sup>nd</sup> defendants who in turn engaged the 3<sup>rd</sup>, 4<sup>th</sup> and 5<sup>th</sup> defendants.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:.25in;text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">On 13<sup>th</sup> December, 2010, the plaintiff by his amended writ of summons, therefore brought an action against the defendants for the following reliefs:-<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.25in; margin-left:1.0in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.5in"><b><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">“1. A declaration that by virtue of the indenture dated 20<sup>th<