MUSTAPHA KOLNABA vs. SAMUEL DOKU MADAM PATIENCE DOKU [2012]DLCA8624

Date	2012-05-10
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. H1/4/12
Citation No.	[2012]DLCA8624

KANYOKE J.A. (PRESIDING)

OFOE J.A.

ADJEI J.A.

MR. SAM KYERE FOR APPLICANT/APPELLANT

MR. MOHAMMED ATTAH FOR PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT

[2012]DLCA8624
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >MUSTAPHA KOLNABA<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>SAMUEL DOKU<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT/JUDGMENT/DEBTOR)<o:p></o:p>MADAM PATIENCE DOKU<o:p></o:p>(APPLICANT/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>[COURT OF APPEAL, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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CIVIL APPEAL NO. H1/4/12&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: 10TH MAY, 2012<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>MR. SAM KYERE FOR APPLICANT/APPELLANT<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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MR.
MOHAMMED ATTAH FOR PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT<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;
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KANYOKE J.A. (PRESIDING),
OFOE J.A., 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;
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JUDGMENT <o:p></o:p>

</div>KANYOKE, J.A.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>This appeal which has
emanated from the ruling of the Circuit Judge at Ashaiman Circuit Court reveals
a clear case of a fraudulent breach of trust resulting in an unfortunate and a
very serious and damaging miscarriage of justice to the applicant/ appellant
herein.&nbsp; For the purposes of this
judgment, I shall retain the positions of the plaintiff/respondent and
defendant/ respondent as plaintiff <o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>and defendant respectively.
The applicant /appellant will also be referred to simply as the appellant.<o:p></o:p>The facts of this case as
contained in the Record of Appeal (ROA) are these:<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The appellant and the
defendant are relatives; being a sister and a brother respectively.&nbsp; The appellant who was originally living at
Ashaiman, acquired a house there in which she and the defendant lived.&nbsp; Later, the appellant became the queen mother
of her town – Asutsuare, so she had to move to Asutsuare to live there and
therefore handed over the house to her brother the defendant as a
caretaker.&nbsp; Subsequently, without the
knowledge and consent of the appellant, the defendant sold the house to the plaintiff
on 24/11/2008 for the sum of Five Thousand Ghana Cedis (Gh¢5,000.00).&nbsp; The plaintiff made a part-payment of
Gh¢2,500.00 of the purchase price of the house to the defendant.&nbsp; The plaintiff was given up to the 25th
December, 2008 to pay the balance of Gh¢2,500.00.&nbsp; When the plaintiff went to the defendant on
25/12/08 to pay the balance of the purchase price of the house to him the
defendant refused to accept same and also declined to release the documents on
the house to the plaintiff.&nbsp; That prompted
the plaintiff to issue a writ of summons on the 9th January, 2009 at
the Circuit Court, Ashaiman, seeking against the defendant – <o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>“an order for
specific performance from this honourable court, to compel the defendant to
accept the outstanding balance of Gh¢2,500.00… and vacate the said premises and
release the documents of the house.”<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>Although the defendant was
served with the writ of summons and accompanying statement of claim he refused
or failed to enter appearance to the writ.&nbsp;
Consequently on 20th January, 2009 the plaintiff filed a
motion ex-parte at the Circuit Court for judgment in default of
appearance.&nbsp; On 23-01-2009, the trial
Circuit Judge surprisingly proceeded to hear this ex-parte motion and
thereafter to enter a judgment in default of appearance in favour of the
plaintiff for the reliefs claimed in the writ of summons.&nbsp; He also ordered the plaintiff to pay the
balance of the purchase price of the house into court.&nbsp; When the appellant became aware of all these
processes concerning her house, she ill advisedly filed a motion on notice at
the same Circuit Court for an order setting aside the default judgment.&nbsp; On 7th August, 2009 the trial Circuit
Judge gave his ruling dismissing the appellant’s motion for the reason that since
the appellant was a stranger to the default judgment she lacked the capacity t</main>