THE REPUBLIC vs. HIGH COURT, ACCRA EX-PARTE: FREDERICK SALIM HANAWI [2013]DLSC2817

Date	2013-11-13
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. J5/1/2014
Citation No.	[2013]DLSC2817

G. T. WOOD (MRS) C. J (PRESIDING)

R. C. OWUSU (MS) JSC

J. V. M. DOTSE JSC

ANIN-YEBOAH JSC

J. B. AKAMBA JSC

PRINCE FREDERICK ASHIE NEEQUAYE FOR THE APPLICANT.

NII ADJIN MENSAH FOR THE INTERESTED PARTIES

[2013]DLSC2817
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>HIGH COURT, ACCRA<o:p></o:p>EX-PARTE: FREDERICK
SALIM HANAWI<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;[SUPREME COURT, ACCRA]<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
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<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">CIVIL APPEAL NO. J5/1/2014&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;DATE:
13<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">TH<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
line-height:150%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:
&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;mso-bidi-font-family:
Tahoma"> NOVEMBER, 2013<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>PRINCE FREDERICK ASHIE NEEQUAYE
FOR THE APPLICANT.<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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NII
ADJIN MENSAH FOR THE INTERESTED PARTIES<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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G. T. WOOD (MRS) C. J (PRESIDING), R. C. OWUSU
(MS) JSC, J. V. M. DOTSE JSC, ANIN-YEBOAH JSC , J.&nbsp; B.&nbsp;
AKAMBA JSC<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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<span style="font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;
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mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal">JUDGEMENT <o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>AKAMBA, JSC:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>The
Applicant herein, Frederick Salim Hanawi, in a notice of motion filed on 2nd
August 2013 invokes this court’s supervisory jurisdiction under article 132 of
the Constitution 1992 and rules 61 and 62 of CI 16 as amended, for an order of
certiorari directed at the High Court, Accra: coram George Atto Mills Graves, J
to bring into this court, the entire proceedings including the ruling of the
said court dated the 3rd of May 2013, in the suit numbered FAL
202/11 entitled, Dominic Edward Owusu and Esther Adubea Owusu (Plaintiffs) v
Salim Ali and Esther Ali (Defendants), for same to be quashed.<o:p></o:p>Grounds
for Application<o:p></o:p>The
applicant stated three grounds. The first is that the learned High Court judge
wrongly assumed jurisdiction to give a ruling on an application to set aside
the order dated 14th January 2013 which was not argued before him in
the suit No FAL 202/11 (supra). The second ground alleges an error of law
apparent on the face of the record. The third and last ground is an allegation
of a breach of the audi alteram partem rule
of natural justice.<o:p></o:p>Brief Facts<o:p></o:p>On
14th January 2013 when the suit No FAL 202/11 (supra) involving the
parties in this application was called for hearing of the case to begin, the
plaintiffs/Interested parties herein (simply Interested parties) were absent
from court. Prior to this date, the case was originally slated for the 8th
January 2013 for hearing but it failed to come on and was adjourned to 14th
January 2013 for the hearing. From the trial judge’s ruling, it is apparent
that the 1st Defendant /Applicant (simply Applicant) served the Interested
Parties’ solicitor with the hearing notice of the new hearing date.<o:p></o:p>When
the case was called at 9.30 a.m. on the 14th January 2013 and the
Interested Parties were absent, the court granted an application by counsel for
the 1st Defendant/Applicant relying on order 36 rule 1 (2) (b) of CI
47 and accordingly dismissed the interested parties claim/action. The matter
was then adjourned to the 21st January 2013 for the applicants (defendants)
to prove their counterclaim. <o:p></o:p>On
25th March 2013 the Interested parties brought an application to set
aside the High Court’s orders made on 14th January 2013. No
affidavit was filed in opposition to the application to set aside the aforesaid
orders. However, counsel for the Applicant raised a preliminary legal objection
to the propriety of the application to set aside under order 81 rule 2 of CI 47.
Counsel contended that the said motion was not properly before the court
because the Interested party had taken a fresh step hence by virtue of order 81
rule (2) (2) of CI 47 they could not be heard.<o:p></o:p>Wrongful Assumption of Jurisdiction/Error
on the Face of the Record/Breach of Audi Alteram Partem Rule.<o:p></o:p>An
applicant may succeed in invoking this court’s supervisory intervention upon
demonstrating that the High Court wrongly assumed jurisdiction in the matter, patent
on the face of the record. The scope of our supervisory jurisdiction has been
rendered in many decisions of this court.&nbsp;
In the case of the Republic v
High Court, Accra; Ex Parte Sosu [1996-97] 2 SCGLR 525 especially 529,
Adjabeng, JSC pointed out that the error must be so grave as to amount to the
wrong assumption of jurisdiction. The error must be obvious as to make the
decision a nullity. Georgina Wood, JSC (as she then was) articulated the
position in the case of Republic vs
Court of Appeal, Accra, ex parte Tsatsu Tsikata (2005-2006) SCGLR&nbsp; 612 at 619 : wherein she held as
follows:<o:p></o:p>“The clear thinking of the court is that our
sup</main>