EBU NTIAKO ESIA KOBINA vs. AHANTA TRADITIONAL COUNCIL EBU. NANA NKETSIA WEREK [2012]DLCA8395

Date	2012-03-15
Suit No.	SUIT NO.H1/123/09
Citation No.	[2012]DLCA8395

S.MARFUL-SAU J.A (PRESIDING)

C.J.HONYENUGA J.A

DENNIS D. ADJEI J.A

[2012]DLCA8395
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >EBU NTIAKO ESIA KOBINA<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>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>[COURT OF APPEAL, CAPE COAST]<o:p></o:p><div style="font-size: medium; border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom: 1.5pt solid windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">SUIT NO.H1/123/09&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &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: 15TH MARCH, 2012<o:p></o:p></div>CORAM:<o:p></o:p><div style="font-size: medium; border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom: 1.5pt solid windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">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="font-size: medium; border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom: 1.5pt solid windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">JUDGMENT<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 for a further order &nbsp;inviting the court to decline 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 others&nbsp; filed a suit &nbsp;at the Judicial Committee of the Ahanta Traditional Council against &nbsp;Tutuhene &nbsp;Esi Atta and others including the Plaintiff/Respondent herein. On 30th October, 1998, the Judicial Committee of the Ahanta Traditional Council gave judgment against the plaintiff herein and his family. They appealed 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. On 16th March, 2009 the trial High Court dismissed 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. There 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, 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 of the Judicial Committees of&nbsp; the Ahanta Traditional&nbsp; Council and the&nbsp; Western Region House of Chiefs are void.<o:p></o:p>I will&nbsp; address the&nbsp; issue as to&nbsp; 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&nbsp; court, Sekondi, on 6th August,2008 the substantive 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</main>