NICHOLAS DARKO vs. RICHARD [2013]DLHC8218

Date	2013-12-17
Suit No.	SUIT NO.C11/18/13
Citation No.	[2013]DLHC8218

HIS LORDSHIP JUSTICE JACOB B. BOON

KWABENA POKU-MENSAH FOR THE DEFENDANT/APPELLANT

MARIAN GYASI JAWHRAY FOR PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT

[2013]DLHC8218
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >NICHOLAS DARKO<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>RICHARD<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>[HIGH COURT, KUMASI]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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SUIT
NO.C11/18/13&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &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:
17TH DECEMBER, 2013<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>KWABENA
POKU-MENSAH FOR THE DEFENDANT/APPELLANT<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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MARIAN
GYASI JAWHRAY FOR PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT&nbsp; <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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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent:
0cm;line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">HIS
LORDSHIP JUSTICE JACOB B. BOON<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;
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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
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">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>This appeal is from the judgment of His Worship Kwadwo B. Filson sitting
as Rent Magistrate at the District Court, Ashanti New-Town, Kumasi. The case
got to the District Court through a report submitted to it by the Principal
Rent Officer for Ashanti. The plaintiff/respondent, to be referred to as the
plaintiff hereafter, had lodged a complaint at the Rent Office against the
defendant/appellant, to be called the defendant, for the recovery of two
different amounts of money he asserted were due him as a result of an oral
tenancy agreement with the defendant in respect of defendant’s premises. A
summary of plaintiff’s case ascertainable from the Rent Officer’s report is
that he rented the premises of defendant to operate a lottery business. The tenancy
was for a six year period in pursuance of which an advanced rent of
GH¢13,000.00 was paid to the defendant. In addition an amount of GH¢9,000.00
was made available by the plaintiff to the defendant to enable him improve the
property to suit the business of the plaintiff. After occupying the property
for sixteen months, plaintiff decided to vacate it ostensibly because of an
unhealthy practice by the defendant when he started a rival business. Plaintiff
asserted that he abrogated the agreement to avoid what he described as
“skirmishes between the competing businesses”. He had wanted to sublet the
premises to a businessman engaged in micro financing but this was resisted by
the defendant for the reason that a new enterprise will compete with similar
businesses already in existence in the building housing the rented premises.
Plaintiff therefore claimed at the Rent Office an order for the defendant to refund
the unexpired rent of GH¢10,200.00 and the GH¢ 9,000.00 spent to improve the
status of the premises.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>At the Rent Office, defendant did not dispute the rent paid for the
premises and was willing to refund the amount claimed as unutilized rent.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>He also admitted receiving the GH¢9,000.00 which he used to improve on
the condition of the premises but insisted &nbsp;to that extent, he was unable to reimburse the
plaintiff with that amount because the works were at his request &nbsp;and for a specific purpose.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>Finally, he maintained he did not agree with the plaintiff &nbsp;&nbsp;to set
up a monopoly of the business operated by him at the premises. This is in
apparent reference to the assertion of plaintiff that he had to vacate the
premises because the defendant started a rival business, and that could result in
unhealthy skirmishes between the competing businesses. <o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>After considering the matter, the Principal Rent Officer confirmed both
the advanced rent of GHc10200 and the GH¢9,000.00 improvement money. He found
that a greater portion of the works carried out was for fittings and fixtures
done with the approval of the defendant.<o:p></o:p>