[2012]DLCA8398 Login to Read Full Case <span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="font-size: medium; text-align: center; line-height: 1.15px;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; color: rgb(0, 176, 240);">GABRIEL ANSAH YAW<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="font-size: medium; text-align: center; line-height: 1.15px;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.3333px; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">(</span></i><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.3333px; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT</span></i><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.3333px; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">)</span></i><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.3333px; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; color: rgb(0, 176, 240);">vs.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="font-size: medium; text-align: center; line-height: 1.15px;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; color: rgb(0, 176, 240);">FRANCIS YAW FRIMPONG</span></b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="font-size: medium; text-align: center; line-height: 1.15px;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.3333px; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">(DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.3333px; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">[COURT OF APPEAL, KUMASI]<o:p></o:p></span></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;"><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align: center; line-height: 1.15px; border: none; padding: 0cm;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.3333px; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">SUIT NO: H1/23/2012 </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.3333px; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;"> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.3333px; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;"> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.3333px; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;"> DATE: </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.3333px; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">26<sup>TH</sup></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.3333px; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;"> JULY, 2012</span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.3333px; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p></div><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 1.15px;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 1.15px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">BRIGHT OBEN MANU ESQ. FOR PLFF/APPELLANT<o:p></o:p></span></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;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; border: none; padding: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">OTU ESSEL FOR DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT</span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">CORAM:<o:p></o:p></span></b></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;"><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 1.15px; border: none; padding: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">MARIAMA OWUSU J.A. (PRESIDING), FRANCIS KORBIEH J.A., IRENE DANQUAH J.A.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;"> </span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></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;"><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center; border: none; padding: 0cm;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p></span></b></p></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><i><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">MARIAMA </span></u></i></b><b><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">OWUSU<i>, J.A:<o:p></o:p></i></span></u></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">On 23-11-09, the High Court, Sunyani, dismissed the plaintiff’s claim as not proved. In his judgment, the trial High Court Judge held among other things as follows:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin: 0cm 0cm 12pt 36pt; text-align: justify;"><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">“The only claim the plaintiff could establish is the fact that he is called Gabriel Ansah Yaw. But is that sufficient reason for the Lands Commission to give the land to him on which another has built at considerable cost and on his own admission he never applied for and has no knowledge how it came about without more. That certainly cannot be the law. Titles to land are not decreed by coincidence of name or suspicion. It must be noted that both parties are the protégées of the Bishop.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin: 0cm 0cm 12pt 36pt; text-align: justify;"><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">From the evidence, he entrusted the defendant so much so that he did not divulge whatever he was doing to anybody else especially in relationship to setting up the plaintiff. He left everything in the care of the defendant to handle and after his death, defendant as a good and faithful servant handed over to plaintiff the Penkwasi house that obviously plaintiff had no idea about.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin: 0cm 0cm 12pt 36pt; text-align: justify;"><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">If the Bishop can trust the defendant to such an extent, I cannot find any fault whatsoever with his account of his stewardship. Defendant strikes me as a man of integrity. He is a gentleman and perhaps trust is what we all in this case have to observe lest perhaps we open a can of worms. In the premises, the answer to the question whether or not the late Bishop Owusu asked defendant to take care of the building Plot No. 23, Block D, Sector 6, with uncompleted building thereon for and on behalf of the plaintiff is negative.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin: 0cm 0cm 12pt 36pt; text-align: justify;"><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">Again, the answer to the question whether building plot No. 23, Block D, Sector 6, South Ridge Central, Sunyani with uncompleted house thereon belongs to the plaintiff is no. <o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin: 0cm 0cm 12pt 36pt; text-align: justify;"><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">The plaintiff having failed to prove title to the land in dispute judgment is hereby entered in favour of the defendant.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin: 0cm 0cm 12pt 36pt; text-align: justify;"><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">Costs of GH¢2,000 in favour of the defendant against the plaintiff.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">Dissatisfied with the decision of the court, the plaintiff filed the instant appeal.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: justify;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">The grounds of appeal are:<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="font-size: medium; text-indent: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 12pt 1cm; text-align: justify;"><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">a.<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman";"> &n