KWABENA APPIAH vs. DAVID KWABENA AKUOKU [2013]DLCA2904

Date	2013-05-15
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. H1/79/2014
Citation No.	[2013]DLCA2904

MARIAMA OWUSU J. A. (PRESIDING)

ADUAMA OSEI J.A.

DORDZIE J.A.

MR. BRAM LARBI FOR APPELLANT

MRS. M. Y. N. ACHEAMPONG FOR RESPONDENT

NOOR-DEEN SAEED FOR PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT (IN COURT)

[2013]DLCA2904
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >KWABENA APPIAH<o:p></o:p>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;vs.<o:p></o:p>DAVID KWABENA AKUOKU<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;[COURT OF APPEAL, 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. H1/79/2014&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &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
MAY, 2014<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; <o:p></o:p>MR. BRAM LARBI FOR APPELLANT<o:p></o:p>MRS. M. Y. N. ACHEAMPONG FOR
RESPONDENT<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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NOOR-DEEN
SAEED FOR PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT (IN COURT)<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;
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MARIAMA OWUSU,J. A. (PRESIDING) ADUAMA
OSEI, J.A. AND DORDZIE, J.A.<o:p></o:p>

</div>JUDGEMENT <o:p></o:p>MARIAMA OWUSU, J.A:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&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><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>On 7-5-2010, the High Court
[Land Division], Accra, dismissed the plaintiff/appellant’s [hereinafter refer
to as plaintiff] claim for a declaration of title to a parcel of land in Accra
and other ancillary reliefs sought against the defendant. &nbsp;Dissatisfied with the decision of the High
Court, the plaintiff appealed to this Court.<o:p></o:p>In a nutshell, the
plaintiff’s case was that the disputed land was sold to him by one Madam Doreen
Boatemaah Bitihene for valuable consideration sometime 1995. The said Assignment
is witnessed by a Deed of Assignment dated 25-7-1995 and stamped as LVB 8753/04
and AR/GB/520/95. The plaintiff averred further that, on acquisition of the
land, he went into immediate possession, erected corner pillars and constructed
the concrete foundation for a house on the plot. It is the plaintiff’s case
that, to his shock and surprise and in spite of numerous warnings, the defendant/respondent
[hereinafter refer to as defendant] forcibly entered onto parts of his land and
constructed a house on the plot. He concluded that, defendant’s action is a
violation of his rights to his property and planned user of the land hence this
action.<o:p></o:p>On his part, the defendant
denied plaintiff’s claim and put the latter to strict proof of the averments
contained in the statement of claim. In particular, the defendant averred that,
he acquired the land in dispute from the Legal Owners of the land, the Ga,
Gbese and Korle Stools on 13-6-1995 and was given a document to that effect.
The defendant continued that, he registered the document at the Lands
Commission as AR/GB/456/95. <o:p></o:p>It is the defendant’s case that;
he immediately went into possession by building on the land but was stopped by
the Ga District Assembly for building without permit. He subsequently obtained
the building permit from the Ga District Assembly in October 2002 and continued
with the development of the land. He built two bedrooms on the land and put his
family in the said rooms before travelling abroad. Whilst abroad, the defendant
continued, he took up extra jobs to earn extra monies which he sent down to his
attorney in Ghana to continue the building. By 2004 a five bedroom house had
been completed on the disputed land. He has since allowed his other relatives
to move into the house and joined his wife and children.<o:p></o:p>The defendant concluded that
all these dealings with the disputed land went on without any opposition from
the plaintiff from 2000 to 2006. He is therefore an innocent purchaser for
value without notice and this earns him the protection of Act 2 as he built his
house in good faith. The defendant therefore counterclaimed against the
plaintiff as follows;<o:p></o:p>a.<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Declaration
of title to all that land identified in the schedule of his indenture given him
by his grantors.<o:p></o:p>b.<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;