[2013]DLCA8116 Login to Read Full Case <span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center"><span class="NoSpacingChar"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;color:#00B0F0">NANA BUKWEI TAKYI<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">(<span class="NoSpacingChar">PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT</span>)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;color:#00B0F0">vs.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center"><span class="NoSpacingChar"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;color:#00B0F0">OPANYIN KWAKU SAKYI<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">(DEFENDANT)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center"><span class="NoSpacingChar"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;color:#00B0F0">SUB. OPANYIN ATTA PANYIN</span></b></span><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:6.0pt;text-align:center"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">(APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri">[COURT OF </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">APPEAL, CAPE COAST]</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%; border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm; mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">SUIT NO: H1/08/2012</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"> DATE: 21<sup>ST</sup> MARCH, 2013<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif">COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">MR. J.A DAWSON ESQ. FOR THE PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">MR. JOSEPH NICHOLAS NKRUMAH ESQ. FOR THE DEFENDANT/APPELLANT<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">CORAM:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">MARFUL-SAU J.A. (PRESIDING), ADJEI J.A., ACKAH-YENSU J.A.<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></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"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify"><b><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">DENNIS ADJEI, J.A:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">The plaintiff/respondent issued a writ in the High Court, Cape Coast to set aside the judgment which was determined by the Judicial Committee of the Regional House of Chiefs and affirmed by the Judicial Committee of the National House of Chiefs and the Supreme Court. On 7th July 1987, the Judicial Committee of the Central Region House of Chiefs by a majority decision inter alia, declared the enstoolment of the Respondent therein as null and void. The respondent therein is the plaintiff/respondent in this appeal. The decision of the Judicial Committee of the Central Region House of Chiefs was affirmed by the Judicial Committee of the National House of Chiefs on 8<sup>th</sup> May, 1991. On 17<sup>th</sup> February 1999, the Supreme Court also affirmed the judgment of the Judicial Committee of the National House of Chiefs. Some few months after the Supreme Court had delivered its judgment in that chieftaincy matter; the plaintiff herein filed a writ at the High Court to set aside the majority judgment of the Central Region House of Chiefs and the unanimous judgments of the National House of Chiefs and the Supreme Court. The substance of the plaintiff’s action was that the action should have been commenced at the Judicial Committee of the Eguafo Traditional Council and not the Judicial committee of the Central Region of House of Chiefs and the wrong forum renders the proceedings and all the judgments founded on them null and void.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">The defendant/appellant herein resisted the plaintiff’s action. Before the defendant could file his statement of defence within the time prescribed by law, the plaintiff had filed a motion under 25 rule 2 and 3 of the repealed High Court rules LN 140 A to set down the issue of lack of jurisdiction on the part of the Judicial Committee of the Central House of Chiefs for legal argument. The defendant resisted the procedure but he was overruled by the trial High Court Judge. On 15<sup>th</sup> May,2000, the trial High Court judge ruled in favour of the plaintiff and held that the Judicial Committee of the Central Region House of chiefs which exercised original jurisdiction in the matter lacked jurisdiction and its judgment as well as that of the National House of Chiefs and the Supreme Court which affirmed same were null and void.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:36.0pt"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">The defendant filed his Notice of Appeal on 22<sup>nd</sup> May, 2000 and set down five (5) grounds. The grounds of appeal are as follows:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:108.0pt;text-align:justify;text-indent: -36.0pt"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif">“1. <b><i>In as much as the plaintiff/respondent claim that she is the chief of Bando and the Krontihene of Eguafo Traditional Area, in which said capacity she instituted this action, was denied by the defendant/appellant the Judge of the court below erred in law in proceeding to pronounce upon the merits of the plaintiff/respondent’s claim in this suit notwithstanding that the defendant/appellant’s challenge to the capacity in which the plaintiff/respondent instituted this suit was not determined.<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:108.0pt;text-align:justify;text-indent: -36.0pt"><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif">ii. Counsel for the defendant/appellant having intimated in his written address to the court that the court must first decide the issue of the plaintiff/respondent’s capacity to institute the action before the plaintiff/respondent’s application setting down the issue raised in the statement of claim is pronounced upon and that until the issue of capacity is resolved he will not address the court on behalf of the defendant/appellant on the merits of the plaintiff/respondent’s substantive claim, the learned judge of the High court contravened the rules of natural justice when he proceeded to rule upon the merits of the plaintiff/respondent claim without giving counsel for the defendant/appellant the opportunity to respond to the address previously made by counsel for the plaintiff/respondent on the application setting down issues for legal argument.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:108.0pt;text-align:justify;text-indent: -36.0pt"><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif">iii. The manner in which the court below dealt with the case was most unsatisfactory, irregular and led to a substantial miscarriage