SALOMEY SHORME TETTEH AND NII AMON TAFO vs. MARY KORKOR HAYFORD [2012]DLSC2611

Date	2012-02-22
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. J4/34/2011
Citation No.	[2012]DLSC2611

AKUFFO (MS) JSC (PRESIDING)

DATE-BAH JSC

ADINYIRA (MRS) JSC

DOTSE JSC

AKOTO-BAMFO (MRS) JSC

CHARLES BAWADUAH FOR THE APPELLANT.

GODWIN K. NTONY FOR THE RESPONDENT.

[2012]DLSC2611
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >SALOMEY
SHORME TETTEH AND NII AMON TAFO<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>MARY KORKOR
HAYFORD<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;[SUPREME COURT, 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. J4/34/2011&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: 22ND
FEBRUARY, 2012<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:&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; <o:p></o:p>CHARLES
BAWADUAH FOR THE APPELLANT.<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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GODWIN
K.&nbsp; NTONY FOR THE RESPONDENT.<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM: <o:p></o:p>AKUFFO (MS) JSC (PRESIDING), DATE-BAH JSC,
ADINYIRA (MRS) JSC, DOTSE JSC, AKOTO-BAMFO (MRS) JSC<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border-top:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;border:none;
mso-border-top-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0in 1.0pt 0in">JUDGEMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>JONES
DOTSE JSC;<o:p></o:p>This is an appeal by the
Plaintiff/Respondent/Appellant hereafter referred to as Plaintiff against the
judgment of the Court of Appeal dated 22nd July 2010 which set aside
a judgment of the High Court which was in favour of the plaintiff, and entered
judgment in favour of the Defendants/Appellants/Respondents, hereafter referred
to as the Defendants. It must be noted that, even though the Plaintiff
commenced action against a Defendant, Madam Mary Korkoi, she died during the
pendency of the suit, and had been substituted by her daughters, the two substituted
Defendants herein.<o:p></o:p>This case commenced in the
High Court, Accra where the Plaintiff issued a writ against the Defendant,
Madam Mary Korkoi (deceased) claiming the following reliefs:<o:p></o:p>i.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Declaration that the Land Title
Certificate No. GA3929 issued by the Chief Registrar, land Title Registry,
Accra to the Defendant is null and void on grounds of fraud.<o:p></o:p>ii.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; An order to cancel or set aside the
said Land Certificate No. CA. 3929<o:p></o:p>iii.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Perpetual injunction restraining the
Defendant, her agents workmen etc not to have anything to do with the said
land.<o:p></o:p>At the High Court the
Acting Asere Mantse at all material times to the cause of the action, Nii Tafo
Amon II applied to be joined as a party and was accordingly joined as a
Co-plaintiff by an order of the Court.<o:p></o:p>Interestingly, both
Plaintiff and Defendants claim title through the Asere Stool. Whilst plaintiff
claims she acquired the land in 1978, Defendants claimed their mother acquired
the land as far back as 1974, though she only got an indenture covering the
land in 1983. It is therefore not surprising that the Defendants also
counterclaimed for the following reliefs:-<o:p></o:p>a.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A declaration that the indenture issued
to the Plaintiff in respect of the disputed land after an indenture was earlier
executed in her favour in 1983 is null and void.<o:p></o:p>b.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A declaration that the Asere stool
indeed executed a Deed of Lease on 27/7/1983 in favour of the Defendant and
same was registered at Land Registry and covered with Land Certificate No.
GA3929.<o:p></o:p>JUDGMENT
OF THE HIGH COURT<o:p></o:p>The learned High Court
Judge found for the Plaintiff on the basis that the Plaintiff’s land tallied
with the size of land stated in her indenture and the Title Certificate in
contra distinction to the Defendant’s who, according to the learned trial High
Court Judge, showed inconsistencies in their land size because the size of their
land as reflected in their indenture and in their Land Title Certificate did
not tally.<o:p></o:p>Subsequently, the trial
High Court Judge granted plaintiff’s reliefs whilst she dismissed the counterclaim
of the Defendants and accordingly as per plaintiff’s writ set aside the Land
title Certificate issued to the Defendants declaring it to be null and void.<o:p></o:p>DECISION
OF COURT OF APPEAL AND GROUNDS OF APPEAL TO THIS COURT<o:p></o:p>The Defendants appealed
against the decision of the High Court to the Court of Appeal which overturned
the decision of the High Court and entered judgment in favour of the
Defendants. It is against this decision that the plaintiff has appealed to this
court under the following grounds of appeal:<o:p></o:p>1.&nbsp;&nb</main>