KING ODAIFIO WELENTSE III vs. T & T PROPERTIES LTD. AND TORGBOR MENSAH [2014]DLCA2893

Date	2014-06-26
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. H1/144/2013
Citation No.	[2014]DLCA2893

KUSI APPIAH JA (PRESIDING)

V D OFOE JA

MARGARET WELBOURNE (MRS) JA

MR SAM KYERE FOR DEFENDANT/APPELLANT

MR JAH JOSIAH FOR PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT

[2014]DLCA2893
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >KING
ODAIFIO WELENTSE III<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>T &amp; T PROPERTIES LTD.
AND TORGBOR MENSAH<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;[COURT OF APPEAL, 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. H1/144/2013&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: 26TH
JUNE, 2014<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>MR SAM KYERE FOR
DEFENDANT/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">

MR
JAH JOSIAH FOR PLAINTIFF/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:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

KUSI APPIAH JA (PRESIDING) ,V D OFOE JA ,MARGARET
WELBOURNE (MRS) JA<o:p></o:p>

</div>JUDGEMENT<o:p></o:p>MARGARET WELBOURNE J.A.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>This is an appeal against the ruling of the
High Court delivered on 20th February, 2013, in favour of the
Plaintiff/Respondent (hereinafter called the Respondent against the
Defendant/Appellant (hereinafter referred to as Appellant<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>Brief
Facts<o:p></o:p>On 2nd November, 2012, the
Respondent filed a motion on notice for Interlocutory injunction seeking to
restrain the Appellants, their workmen, assigns and privies from changing the
status quo of the land in dispute.&nbsp; The
Respondent contended that the Appellants were given an assignment of the land
by Ghanachix Farms.&nbsp; The Respondent
claimed that the land in dispute is part of Nungua Stool Lands which was taken
over by the Tema Development Corporation (TDC) and that the Appellants are
building on the land notwithstanding all caution and warnings.&nbsp; The Appellants opposed the Respondent’s
application and contended that the Respondent does not own the land and that
neither does he have any title or right or interest in the land in dispute.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The Appellants applied to the TDC who
thereafter leased a piece of land (which is part of the land acquired by the
Government) to the Appellants for a term of 60 years.&nbsp; He further applied to Tema Metropolitan Assembly
(TMA) to develop the land and was granted a building permit.&nbsp; Thus as far as the Appellants were concerned,
they had duly acquired a right and interest in the land in dispute from the TDC
the rightful owner of the land.&nbsp; It was
the contention of the Appellants that after the acquisition of the land by the
Government in 1952, the Respondent lost any title, right or interest in the
land in dispute.&nbsp; The Appellants further contended
that although the Respondent in paragraph 5 of his affidavit in support of his
application stated that he has duly registered the land in dispute, he failed
to exhibit the said registered document to his application.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>On 29th November 2012, the learned
trial Judge dismissed the Respondent’s application as devoid of any merit and
awarded cost of GH¢500.00 against him. <o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>On 19th December, 2012, the
Respondent filed the same application before the same Court and deposed to the
same facts which were deposed to in the earlier application that was
dismissed.&nbsp; The only difference was that
the Respondent attached a site plan which he claimed is the site plan of the
Appellants.&nbsp; The Appellants in their
Affidavit in Opposition to the motion relied on the averments in the earlier
affidavit filed on 14th November, 2012, in opposition to the
Respondent’s first motion.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The Appellants maintained that the second
application was irregular because no fresh points or facts had been raised. After
hearing arguments from Counsel for the parties the trial court granted the
application restraining the plaintiff, his privies, agents, etc from any
further development of the disputed land pending the final determination of the
suit. It is against this ruling that the instant appeal is lodged. The only
ground of appeal is the following:<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>a.