THE REPUBLIC vs. MAJOR CLIFFORD ATTA WIRROM EX PARTE: ERASMUS QUAISON AND MRS. EDITH DAVIS [2012]DLCA8634

THE REPUBLIC vs. MAJOR CLIFFORD ATTA WIRROM EX PARTE: ERASMUS QUAISON AND MRS.... [2012]DLCA8634

Date	2012-05-17
Suit No.	SUIT NO. H1/32/12
Citation No.	[2012]DLCA8634

MARFUL-SAU JA (PRESIDING)

HONYENUGA JA

DENNIS ADJEI JA

JOHN MERCER ESQ FOR THE RESPONDENT/APPELLANT

GUSTAV ADDINGTON ESQ FOR THE APPLICANT/RESPONDENT

[2012]DLCA8634
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>(RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p><span lang="EN-GB" 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>MAJOR CLIFFORD ATTA WIRROM<o:p></o:p>(RESPONDENT/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>EX PARTE: ERASMUS QUAISON AND MRS. EDITH DAVIS<o:p></o:p>(APPLICANTS/RESPONDENTS)<o:p></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">

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>JOHN
MERCER ESQ FOR THE RESPONDENT/APPELLANT <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">

GUSTAV
ADDINGTON ESQ FOR THE APPLICANT/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;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

MARFUL-SAU
JA (PRESIDING), HONYENUGA JA, DENNIS ADJEI JA <o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

</div>MARFUL-SAU,
JA: -<o:p></o:p>This
appeal is taken against the ruling of the High Court sitting at Cape Coast
dated the 28th November 2011. Three grounds were formulated in the
Notice of Appeal filed on the 7th December 2011 and found at page
140 of the record of appeal. The grounds are as follows:-<o:p></o:p>‘’i)The
ruling/decision of the Court has effectively undermined a subsisting order made
earlier on by the Court IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF JOSEPH DUMAH
QUAISON(DECEASED) for the parties to lead evidence in support of their
dispositions in their respective affidavits.<o:p></o:p>ii)
The Respondent/Appellant has not been duly served with any judgment and
therefore could not be said to have wilfully disobeyed any order or judgment in
any previous suit.<o:p></o:p>iii)The
Applicants/Respondents failed to satisfy the standard of proof as required of
them by law and the Court erred in holding that the Respondent/Appellant was
liable for contempt.’’<o:p></o:p>Having
studied the record of appeal, I am of the opinion that the appeal raises one
fundamental issue to be resolved which is whether the conviction of the
appellant for contempt is justified in law. I will address this issue but first
let me appraise the proceedings that have given cause to the appeal.<o:p></o:p>The
facts of this case are simple. On the 10th day of May 1969, one
Joseph Dumah Quaison executed a document as his last Will and Testament. By that
Will the testator appointted one Joseph Acquah alias Kweku Aduakwa the Executor
of the Will, charged to distribute the properties to persons mentioned therein.
However by paragraph 3 of the Will the testator appointed his nephew Atta
Wirrom, the respondent/appellant herein, Trustee of his building in Accra. <o:p></o:p>On
an allegation that the said Atta Wirrom had mismanaged the affairs of the house
in Accra, an action was commenced in the High Court Accra to remove him as the
Trustee of the house. In that action a default judgment was entered against the
respondent/appellant herein on the 14th April 1987, discharging him
as the trustee of the estate.<o:p></o:p>Nothing
seemed to have happened between the respondent/ appellant and the estate till
the Applicant/Respondents herein applied for the grant of Letters of
Administration for the estate of Joseph Dumah Quaison(Deceased) in Suit
No.E4/73/09 filed on the 9th July 2009 in the High Court, Cape
Coast. While the application was pending the respondent/appellant filed a
caveat against the application for the grant of Letters of Administration. On
the 8th February 2011, the applicants/respondents herein commenced
contempt proceedings against the respondent/appellant in Suit No.E9/107/2011.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;The respondent appellant was found liable and
convicted for contempt and perjury, for which he was sentenced toGHC1, 000.00
or three months imprisonment. He was also to pay cost of GHC1, 000.00 to the
applicants/respondents. It is against this conviction that this appeal has been
mounted.<o:p></o:p>