HAJAARA FARMS LTD vs. SOCIETE GENERALE- SOCIAL AND SECURITY BANK [2012]DLSC2615

Date	2012-01-25
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. J4/25/2011
Citation No.	[2012]DLSC2615

ATUGUBA AG. CJ (PRESIDING)

DATE- BAH JSC

ANSAH JSC

BONNIE JSC

AKOTO BAMFO (MRS.) JSC

L.N.S. AKUETTEH (WITH HIM PAUL DEKYI) FOR THE APPELLANT.

NII AKWEI BRUCE-THOMPSON FOR THE RESPONDENT.

[2012]DLSC2615
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >HAJAARA FARMS LTD<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>SOCIETE GENERALE- SOCIAL
AND SECURITY BANK<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. J4/25/2011&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;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;DATE: 25TH JANUARY, 2012<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>L.N.S. AKUETTEH (WITH HIM
PAUL DEKYI) 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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NII
AKWEI BRUCE-THOMPSON FOR THE&nbsp;&nbsp;
RESPONDENT.<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM: <o:p></o:p>ATUGUBA AG. CJ (PRESIDING), DATE- BAH JSC, ANSAH JSC, BONNIE 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;line-height:150%;
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solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0in 1.0pt 0in">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>DR. DATE-BAH JSC:<o:p></o:p>The
key facts in this appeal are that a farming company (the plaintiff/respondent/respondent)
entered into a loan agreement with a bank (the defendant/appellant/appellant)
to finance the importation of 10 tractors from France.&nbsp; On their arrival in Ghana, the farming
company took delivery and custody of the tractors.&nbsp; Dissatisfied with this, the bank seized the
tractors and put them in its warehouse.&nbsp;
It released 5 of the tractors to the company only after new terms had
been agreed between them.&nbsp; The remaining
five remained in the bank’s custody until they were ultimately sold by the
bank.&nbsp; The bank claimed to be exercising
rights under the original loan agreement that it had concluded with the farming
company.&nbsp; But this agreement was never
put in evidence at the trial.&nbsp;
Eventually, the five tractors released to the company were also seized
by the bank and sold.<o:p></o:p>The
farming company brought this action in 1993, claiming:<o:p></o:p>a)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
“that an account be taken of the proceeds
obtained by the Defendants from the operation of 5 (five) Renault agricultural
tractors belonging to the Plaintiffs from 1988 to date of disposal plus
interest on such proceeds at the rate of 26% or the prevailing bank rate
whichever is higher;<o:p></o:p>b)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
that an account be taken of the proceeds
obtained from the sale of 10 (ten) Renault tractors belonging to Plaintiffs by
defendants plus interest thereon at 26% or the prevailing bank rate whichever
is higher;<o:p></o:p>c)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
General damages for wrongful detention and
disposal of 20 (sic) (ten) Renault
tractors the property of the plaintiffs by the defendants or Alternatively an
order for the replacement by the Defendants of the 10 Renault tractors plus
damages for their wrongful detention and or wrongful disposal.<o:p></o:p>d)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
An order that any sums outstanding in
respect of claims (a) and (b) above be paid to the Plaintiffs by the
defendants.”<o:p></o:p> 
The bank, in response, counterclaimed for:<o:p></o:p>a)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;