ADOMAKO ANANE vs. NANA OWUSU AGYEMAN AND 7 OTHERS [2012]DLSC3051

Date	2012-06-28
Suit No.	Case No: HI/52/2011
Citation No.	[2012]DLSC3051

JUSTICE MARIAMA OWUSU JA [PRESIDING]

JUSTICE FRANCIS G KORBIEH JA

JUSTICE IRENE C DANQUAH JA

MR. E. ANAGLATE ESQ.

MR. OBENG MANU JNR. ESQ

[2012]DLSC3051
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >ADOMAKO ANANE<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>NANA OWUSU AGYEMAN AND 7 OTHERS<o:p></o:p>[COURT
OF APPEAL, KUMASI]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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Case
No: HI/52/2011&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; &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:
28TH JUNE, 2012<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>MR. E. ANAGLATE
ESQ.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; -&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; PLAINTIFF/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.
OBENG MANU JNR. ESQ.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; -&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; DEFENDANTS/RESPONDENTS<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:<o:p></o:p>JUSTICE MARIAMA OWUSU JA
[PRESIDING], JUSTICE FRANCIS G KORBIEH JA, JUSTICE IRENE C DANQUAH JA<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;
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padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0in 1.0pt 0in">JUDGEMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>IRENE
C DANQUAH JA; <o:p></o:p>This appeal emanates from
the decision of the High Court, Kumasi dated 16th March 2010.&nbsp; The brief facts of the case are these;&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;
<o:p></o:p>The Plaintiff, acting on
his own behalf and on behalf of his immediate Asona family of Asamankama-Offinso,
on April 1974, commenced this action initially against the first two Defendants
who were the named Executors of the Will of the late Opanin Osei Hwirie alias
Osei Kofi.&nbsp; The Writ of Summons and
Statement of Claim were later amended and specific beneficiaries under the said
Will were joined to the suit.<o:p></o:p>The actual hearing of
evidence was done by Mr. Justice Roger Korsah J and after completion of
addresses by Counsel for the parties on 15th July 1980, judgment was
reserved.&nbsp; It was not until 21st
August 1986 that Mr. Justice S S Okunor delivered judgment in the following
terms:<o:p></o:p>“Decision announced.&nbsp; I shall dismiss this action and give full
reasons later.<o:p></o:p>I am reluctant to award high costs in
this matter since it is a family litigation and award costs of ¢10,000.00 to
Defendants.”<o:p></o:p>However, the full reasons
were never given.&nbsp; Aggrieved by the said
judgment, the Plaintiff appealed to the Court of Appeal on 26th
August 1986 on the ground that it appeared from the face of the record that Mr.
Justice S S Okunor did not formally adopt the proceeding held before Mr.
Justice Roger Korsah before pronouncing his judgment on 21st August
1986.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>The Court of Appeal on 10th
March 2008 allowed the appeal by setting aside the judgment of Mr. Justice S S
Okunor.&nbsp; The Court of Appeal further
remitted the case to the High Court for a trial de novo.&nbsp; It was in this circumstance that the case
found its way back to the Court of Mr. Justice G H K Debrah, whose judgment of
16th March 2010 is the subject matter of this appeal which was filed
by the Plaintiff.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>Before Debrah J both
Counsel for the Plaintiff and Defendants agreed that the matter be resolved
upon legal argument instead of going through protracted evidence.&nbsp; It was also due to the fact that apart from
the Plaintiff who was alive the entire original Defendants were deceased.&nbsp; The Plaintiff therefore decided to limit his
claim to <o:p></o:p>“A declaration that H/No.0I 92 situate
at Ashanti New Town, Kumasi is the Plaintiff family property.”<o:p></o:p>The Plaintiff therefore
abandoned the claim for the four cocoa farms alleged to be family
property.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>In 1921, Kwabena Amankwah,
the maternal uncle of Osei Hwirie obtained plot number 0I 92, Ashanti New Town,
Kumasi from the Chief Commissioner for a term of twenty one years which expired
in 1942.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>He erected a swish
building on the plot comprising of several rooms, a bath and kitchen.&nbsp; Upon the death of Kwabena Amankwah in 1941 he
was succeeded by Osei Hwirie as the customary successor.&nbsp; Osei Hwirie took over the farms and the
house.&nbsp; Osei Hwirie subsequently pulled
down the swish building and constructed a sandcrete storey building in its
place. In the life time of Osei Hwirie, he made certain dispositions in his
Will and Codicils dated 29th January 1970 and certain devises
affecting the properties alleged to be family properties including H/No.0I 92
Ashanti New Town, Kumasi which he inherited as the customary successor in
favour of the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th 7th
and 8th Defendants.&nbsp; The
Plaintiff contended that as far as the properties device were all family
properties belonging to the Plaintiff’s family, they could not be disposed off
by the late Osei Hwirie as if they were his self acquired properties.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>In respect of H/No.0I 92,
the Defendant on the other hand contended that upon the expiration of the lease
granted Kwabena Amankwah, the interest of the family became extinguished and
therefore Osei Hwirie could disposed the interest he acquired in the property
to whoever he chose.<o:p></o:p>The legal issue as
gathered from the judgment in essence was for the determination as to whether
or not Kwabena Amankwah having obtained a lease in 1921 in respect of H/No.0I 92
and having been succeeded by Osei Hwirie on his death in 1941, the property
remained a family propert</main>