EBU NTIAKO ESIA KOBINA vs. AHANTA TRADITIONAL COUNCIL EBU. NANA NKETSIA WEREK [2012]DLCA7962

Date	2012-03-16
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. H1/188/2011
Citation No.	[2012]DLCA7962

S.MARFUL-SAU J.A (PRESIDING)

C.J.HONYENUGA J.A

DENNIS D. ADJEI J.A

[2012]DLCA7962
																																						<div class="restriction-wrapper">
														<div class="container-lg">
															<div class="row">
																<div class="col-md-12 restricted-content">
																	<div class="restricted-content-img-wrapper">
																		<div class="lock-icon bounce-7">
																			<img class=""
																				src="https://www.dennislawgh.com/dl-assets/dl-images/lock-content.png"
																				alt="Subscription based content">
																		</div>
																	</div>
																	 
																		<a href="https://www.dennislawgh.com/login"
																		class="btn btn-primary btn-lg"
																		style="font-family: 'open sans'; text-transform: capitalize; border-radius: 8px"> 
																		Login to Read Full Case </a>
																	 
																	
																</div>
															</div>
														</div>
													</div>
													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >EBU NTIAKO ESIA KOBINA<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B0F0">vs.<o:p></o:p>AHANTA
TRADITIONAL COUNCIL<o:p></o:p>(1ST DEFENDANT/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>EBU. NANA
NKETSIA WEREK<o:p></o:p>(2ND DEFENDANT/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>[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:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">CIVIL APPEAL NO. H1/188/2011&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &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: 16TH
MARCH, 2012<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;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

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

</div>&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;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

</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&nbsp; 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 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&nbsp; appeal to the Judicial Committee of the
Western Region House of Chiefs and it affirmed the judgment of the trial Court
on&nbsp; 9th December, 2001. On 6th
August&nbsp; 2008, the Plaintiff filed&nbsp; the instant suit at the High court inviting
the High Court to declare&nbsp; the two
judgments given against&nbsp; 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&nbsp; 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&nbsp; cause or matter affecting&nbsp; 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&nbsp; 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,</main>