[2012]DLCA6458 Login to Read Full Case <span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; color:#00B0F0">GEORGE AMUAH<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><i>(PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="color:#00B0F0">vs.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; color:#00B0F0">MR. J. M. AFRIYIE & 10 OTHERS<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">(DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">[COURT OF APPEAL, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">CIVIL APPEAL NO.: H1/62/2011 DATE: 20TH APRIL, 2012<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border-top:solid windowtext 1.5pt; border-left:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;border-right:none; padding:1.0pt 0in 1.0pt 0in"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="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"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 107%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="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"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""> MR. F. K. YEBOAH WITH GABRIEL AMOAH FOR DEFT/RESPONDENTS<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="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"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""> MR. TEI AZU FOR PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p> </div><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="border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;mso-border-between:1.5pt solid windowtext; mso-padding-between:1.0pt;padding-bottom:1.0pt;mso-padding-bottom-alt:1.0pt; border-bottom:1.5pt solid windowtext;mso-border-bottom-alt:1.5pt solid windowtext"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 107%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">CORAM:</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""> MARFUL-SAU J.A. (PRESIDING), AYEBI J.A., HONYENUGA J.A.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;border:none; mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; mso-border-between:1.5pt solid windowtext;mso-padding-between:1.0pt;padding-top: 1.0pt;mso-padding-top-alt:0in"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;tab-stops:377.25pt"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 107%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">HONYENUGA, J.A</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:107%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">This is an appeal by the plaintiff/appellant hereinafter referred to as the appellant against the decision of the High Court, Accra dated the 23rd day of April 2010. The said decision dismissed the appellant’s claim together with the counterclaim of the defendant/respondent but ordered the appellant to handover to the respondents any P.T.A. monies collected by him.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:107%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""> The facts of this appeal are that the appellant set up the Association International School from his own resources and was running the school until around 1981 when the Government of Ghana confiscated the school and placed it under the management of the Ghana Education Service (GES). However, in December 2008, the Ex-President of the Republic of Ghana deconfiscated the said school. Thereafter, a Deed of Transfer dated the 5th day of January, 2009 was executed in favour of the appellant. On the 14th day of September 2009, the school was formally handed over to the appellant and has since been under his management. The appellant called upon the respondents especially the 11th respondent to release the Parent Teacher Association (P.T.A.) funds to enable him run the school but to no avail. The appellant who believed that these funds belonged to the school and after persistent failure to release the said funds to him, caused the instant Writ of Summons to be issued against the respondents claiming as follows:—<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:107%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""> "(i) A declaration that Association International School’s PTA’s accounts at SCB Opeibea House Branch and at any other bank in Ghana belongs to Association International School and can only be used for the benefit of the school.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:107%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""> (ii) An order against the defendants to release all the money in Association International School PTA bank accounts at SCB, Opeibea House branch and any other bank to the plaintiff to be used for the benefit of Association International School”. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:107%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">The Writ of Summons was accompanied by a twenty-three paragraph Statement of claim. The respondents entered appearance thereto and filed a Statement of Defence and Counterclaimed as follows:-<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:107%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""> “1. The payment of present day value of the extra assets provided by members of 11th defendant valued in 2002 as GH¢292,235.00.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:107%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""> 2. Account and return all monies from the members of 11th defendant collected by the teachers of the school appropriated by the plaintiff”. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:107%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">An application for directions was filed and the following were the issues:—<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:107%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""> "(a) Whether or not the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) of Association International School is distinct from Association International School.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:107%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""> (b) Whether or not the PTA levy collected by the school which is in the PTA accounts is for the benefit of the school or for any other purpose. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:107%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">(c) Any further issues arising from the pleadings. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:107%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">The following additional issues were also filed by the respondents:—<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left:1.0in;mso-add-space:auto; text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">1.<span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%; font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">"1. Whether or not the PTA of Association International School i.e. the 11th defendant is