ASD LUMBER (GH) LTD vs. DANIEL OPOKU- ADABO THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL [2013]DLCA8070

Date	2013-03-21
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. H1/27/2012
Citation No.	[2013]DLCA8070

MARFUL-SAU JA (PRESIDING)

DENNIS ADJEI JA

BARBARA ACKAH-YENSU JA

H. BODZA-LUMOR FOR PLAINTIFF/ APPELLANT

E.K.N.ARTHUR FOR THE 1ST DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT

GEORGE Y.F. KPODO (PSA) FOR THE 2ND DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT

[2013]DLCA8070
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >ASD LUMBER
(GH) LTD<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>DANIEL OPOKU-
ADABO<o:p></o:p>(1ST
DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>THE
ATTORNEY-GENERAL<o:p></o:p>(2ND DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>[COURT OF APPEAL,
CAPE COAST]<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 NO. H1/27/2012&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; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; DATE: 21ST
MARCH, 2013<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>H.
BODZA-LUMOR FOR PLAINTIFF/ APPELLANT<o:p></o:p>E.K.N.ARTHUR
FOR THE 1ST DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT<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">

GEORGE
Y.F. KPODO (PSA) FOR THE 2ND DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT<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">

MARFUL-SAU
JA (PRESIDING), DENNIS ADJEI JA, BARBARA ACKAH-YENSU JA<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

<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>MARFUL-SAU, JA: - The
record of this appeal raises three fundamental issues that need to be resolved.
These are:-<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;( i) whether or not the plaintiff/ appellant
to be referred to as appellant acquired any legal interest in Western Veneer
Lumber Company (WVLC) to enable it commence this action at the court below<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;(ii) &nbsp;whether or not the entity named Subin Timbers
Company Limited was de-confiscated by the Government of Ghana; and<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;(iii)&nbsp;
whether the trial court was right in refusing the plaintiff/ appellants
claim for conversion or detinue<o:p></o:p>From
the record of appeal the facts of this case seems to be that Subin Timbers
Company Ltd (STC) which was incorporated in 1969 entered into a loose
partnership arrangement with Kwofie Timber Agency which was incorporated in
1972. Subin Timbers Company Ltd was managed by one Ivo Fiorini while Kwofie
Timber Agency was under the management of one Ohene Kwofie. The evidence on
record shows that these two managers pooled resources both financial and raw
materials together and mutually promoted their commercial interest in the timber
business.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;In 1982 the PNDC government passed the
Forfeiture of Assets and Transfer of Shares and other Proprietary Interest
(Subin Timber Company Ltd and Central Logging &amp; Sawmills Ltd) Law, PNDC Law
31, which confiscated Subin Timber Company Limited and another company Central
Logging &amp; Sawmills Ltd.<o:p></o:p>By
section 7 of PNDC Law 31, Subin Timber Company Ltd and Central Logging and
Sawmills Ltd were amalgamated and became Western Timbers Limited. This new
company was managed by the PNDC government and in 1990 the government purported
to amalgamate Western Timbers Ltd with another company called Takoradi Veneer
Lumber Company (TVLC) and called the new company Western Veneer and Lumber
Company (WVLC).<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;Evidence on record from Exhibit 1, a Report of
a Ministerial Fact-Finding Committee on WVLC, tendered at the trial, is clear
that the proposed merger of the companies namely Western Timbers Ltd and
Takoradi Veneer Lumber Company never materialised and Western Veneer and Lumber
Company (WVLC) never became a legal entity. In other words no corporate entity
by name Western Veneer and Lumber Company (WVLC) was formed.<o:p></o:p>Notwithstanding
the fact that Western Veneer and Lumber Company never existed as a corporate
entity, the Divestiture Implementation Committee (DIC) in 1996 started the
process of divesting the interest of government in the non- existent Western
Veneer and Lumber Company. As a result of the divestiture process, the
appellant herein won the bid to purchase Western Veneer and Lumber Company and
an offer was made to it per a letter dated 12th June 2007. This
letter which will be reproduced in the course of this judgment was tendered at
the trial as Exhibit B.<o:p></o:p>It
is on record that, while Ivo Fiorini fled the country after the 31st
December 1981 coup, Ohene Kwofie was arrested and detained by the PNDC
government. Upon his release from military detention, Ohene Kwofie in his
lifetime pursued a claim against the government for the de-confiscation of
Subin Timbers Company. There is evidence included </main>