THE REPUBLIC vs. THE JUDICIAL COMMITTEE OF VOLTA REGION HOUSE OF CHIEFS EX-PARTE: TOGBE AFENDZA III, TOGBE STEPHEN KWASI DZAKPA AND TOGBE ZU I LONGINUS AGBODRA (ZIKPUITOR) AND 7 OTHERS [2012]DLCA8666

THE REPUBLIC vs. THE JUDICIAL COMMITTEE OF VOLTA REGION HOUSE OF CHIEFS EX-PARTE... [2012]DLCA8666

Date	2012-03-15
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL SUIT NO. H1/8/2012
Citation No.	[2012]DLCA8666

APALOO J.A. (PRESIDING)

DUOSE J.A.

OFOE JA

MR. W. A. N. ADUMUA-BOSSMAN ESQ. FOR APPLICANTS/APPELLANTS

MR. K. K. DZANKU ESQ. FOR INTERESTED PARTIES/RESPONDENTS

[2012]DLCA8666
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >THE REPUBLIC<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>THE JUDICIAL
COMMITTEE OF VOLTA REGION HOUSE OF CHIEFS<o:p></o:p>(RESPONDENTS/ RESPONDENTS)<o:p></o:p>EX-PARTE:
TOGBE AFENDZA III, TOGBE STEPHEN KWASI DZAKPA AND TOGBE ZU I<o:p></o:p>(APPLICANTS/ APPELLANTS)<o:p></o:p>LONGINUS AGBODRA (ZIKPUITOR) AND 7 OTHERS<o:p></o:p>(INTERESTED
PARTIES/ RESPONDENTS)<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</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;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

CIVIL
APPEAL SUIT NO. H1/8/2012&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>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>MR.
W. A. N. ADUMUA-BOSSMAN ESQ. FOR APPLICANTS/APPELLANTS<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">

MR.
K. K. DZANKU, ESQ.&nbsp; FOR INTERESTED
PARTIES/RESPONDENTS<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">

APALOO
J.A. (PRESIDING), DUOSE J.A., OFOE JA<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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<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">JUDGMENT <o:p></o:p>

</div>APALOO JA;&nbsp;&nbsp; This is an appeal from the decision of the
High Court Ho dated 19th February 2010.&nbsp; As to part of the decision complained of, the
Appellants stated that “so much of the
judgment as dismissed the application for the grant of an order of prohibition
against the Respondents, the Judicial Committee of the Volta Region House of
Chiefs”. The Applicants/Appellants had invoked the supervisory jurisdiction
of the High Court for; <o:p></o:p>(1)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
An order of certiorari to
quash certain orders of the Respondent House awarding costs against them and <o:p></o:p>(2)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
&nbsp;An order of prohibition, prohibiting the
Respondent House from Hearing and determining the Chieftaincy matter titled Togbe Afendza III and 2 Others Vrs Longinus
Agbodra &amp; 7 Others pending before it on grounds of bias and
impartiality on the part of its Legal Counsel in the person of Mr. Kodzo-Kumah
Dzanku. <o:p></o:p>&nbsp;The earlier part of the judgment had granted the
Appellants’ motion for an order of certiorari.&nbsp;
The facts leading to the application in the Court below are straight
forward.&nbsp; The Appellants had commenced an
action before the Judicial Committee of the Volta Region House of Chiefs
against the Interested Parties/Respondents to prevent Togbui Dadadu VIII, the 8th
Interested Party/Respondent from putting or holding himself out and performing
the duties of the Paramount Chief of Akpini Traditional Area.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>In
the course of proceedings the Appellants filed the motion for the Judicial
Review on the basis that the 3rd Respondent who was described as the
Head of Family died in the course of the proceedings and was not substituted
and further that the Legal Counsel for the Judicial Committee, in private
practice is a Lawyer for 4th Respondent in a land litigation at the
Circuit Court Kpando and hence should be prohibited from assisting the Judicial
Committee.<o:p></o:p>There
is no doubt in my mind that the Regional Judicial Committee of three Chiefs
(see Section 28(2) of Act 759) cannot exercise its judicial functions without
the statutory presence of a statutory qualified and appointed Lawyer.&nbsp; Section 28(4) of Act 759 provides that;<o:p></o:p>“A Judicial Committee
appointed under this section shall be assisted by a Lawyer of not less than
five years standing appointed by the Regional </main>