JUSTICE ESSUMAN vs. AUTO PARTS LIMITED [2013]DLSC2775

Date	2013-03-15
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. J4/18/2012
Citation No.	[2013]DLSC2775

W. ATUGUBA J.S.C. (PRESIDING)

S. DATE-BAH J.S.C.

S. ADINYIRA (MRS) J.S.C.

J. DOTSE J.S.C.

S. GBADEGBE J.S.C.

ERIC MICHAEL NARH (WITH HIM ISAAC OBENG) FOR THE DEFENDANT/ RESPONDENT/ APPELLANT.

KWAKU GYAWU BARFOUR FOR THE PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT/RESPONDENT.

[2013]DLSC2775
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >JUSTICE ESSUMAN<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>AUTO PARTS LIMITED<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;[SUPREME COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

CIVIL
APPEAL NO. J4/18/2012&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;DATE: 15TH
MARCH, 2013<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>ERIC MICHAEL NARH (WITH
HIM ISAAC OBENG) FOR THE DEFENDANT/ RESPONDENT/ APPELLANT.<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

KWAKU
GYAWU BARFOUR FOR THE PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT/RESPONDENT.<o:p></o:p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
150%;mso-outline-level:1;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">W. ATUGUBA J.S.C.
(PRESIDING), S. DATE-BAH J.S.C., S. ADINYIRA (MRS) J.S.C., J. DOTSE J.S.C., S.
GBADEGBE J.S.C. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&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>

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

JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>SOPHIA
ADINYIRA (MRS.) JSC:<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;On&nbsp;&nbsp; 5th
March &nbsp;2013, this Court dismissed the
appeal by the Defendant/Respondent/ Appellant and reserved its reasons to be
filed later. These are the reasons.<o:p></o:p>FACTS<o:p></o:p>The Plaintiff/Appellant/Respondent
(hereafter the Plaintiff) was a former employee of the
Defendant/Respondent/Appellant (hereafter Defendant). Plaintiff claims the
Defendant has neglected to pay him agreed commission on contracts he won for
the Defendant. He therefore brought an action against the Defendant in the High
Court, Accra seeking the following reliefs:<o:p></o:p>1. (a) payment of 2,544,847 Japanese
Yen<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;
(b) US $16, 043.85<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;
(c) &nbsp;394,322.00 Cedis<o:p></o:p>Being commission due and owing to
Plaintiff by the Defendants.<o:p></o:p>2. Interest at the prevailing bank rate<o:p></o:p>3. Damages for breach of contract and <o:p></o:p>4. Costs&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>Plaintiff claims he was employed as a
sales manager in August 1995 by the Defendant. A month after his employment
with the Defendant, he was asked by the company, through its Executive Director
to actively canvass for and win contracts for the Defendant. This agreement was
made orally. Initially the remuneration was 1% of the contract sum but it was
subsequently renegotiated and reduced to 0.8%. <o:p></o:p>Plaintiff claims that this additional
duty involved, among others, searching for tenders, preparing and submitting
bid documents, following up on bidding applications to ensure their success,
and ensuring prompt payments for contracts won for the Defendant. <o:p></o:p>It is the case of the Plaintiff that he
was able to win 34 contracts for the Defendant and relied particularly on
Exhibit D in support of his claim. He claims that between 1995 and 2001 the
commission due to him on these contract awards had accumulated to 2,564,350.48
Japanese Yen, US $ 19,948.46 and 21,594,321.88 Cedis. <o:p></o:p>Plaintiff claims after repeated demands
and following his resignation from the company, the Defendant made seventeen
part payments totaling 51 million Cedis for which he issued receipts. Plaintiff
contends that the last payment of 3,000,000 Cedis was made on 12th
November, 2002.<o:p></o:p>The Defendant denied the Plaintiff’s
claim and contends that though the Plaintiff was a sales manager in the
company, they never entered into any such special agreement with him and that
the Plaintiff was never on commission and was at all times a salaried worker. It
is their case that as part of his schedule, he was given te</main>