[2014]DLHC8484 Login to Read Full Case <span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;color:#00B0F0">ELIZABETH NSIAH<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><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.</span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; color:#00B0F0"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;color:#00B0F0">LANDS COMMISSION & OTHER<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><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"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri">[HIGH COURT</span><span class="NoSpacingChar"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">,</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri"> KUMASI]<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. LS66/95 </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">DATE: 16<sup>TH</sup> APRIL, 2014<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">K. A. ASANTE KROBEA FOR PLAINTIFF <o:p></o:p></span></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">KINGSLEY ATTA KARIKARI FOR THE DEFENDANT<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">OBENG MANU JNR. FOR THE 2ND DEFENDANT <o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%"><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 class="NoSpacingChar"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">HIS LORDSHIP JUSTICE JACOB B. BOON<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"><o:p><span style="text-decoration-line: none;"> </span></o:p></span></u></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="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:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">The bone of contention in this suit is House Number OTB, 360, Kumasi. The plot on which it stands was originally the subject of a lease between the then Governor of the Gold Coast Colony and one Chief Yaw Berdjua of Kumasi, referred to in this action as, the Atenehene at the time the property was leased to him. The lease is in evidence as exhibit ‘A’. It is dated 16<sup>th</sup> April, 1935, and the property was demised to him to hold for a term of fifty (50) years from 1<sup>st</sup> January, 1935. On17<sup>th</sup> November, 1936, Chief Yaw Berdjuah executed a sublease of the unexpired term of the head lease in favour of one Naja David. The bare land was conveyed to him and, undoubtedly, he constructed the building on it in contrast with the blatant falsity of the 2<sup>nd</sup> defendant and a former Ashanti Regional Lands Officer that it was the Atene stool which did. Be that as it may, the Administrator of the estate of Naja David, one Wardi Naja David surrendered the interest of Naja David to the Atene Stool in a deed of surrender dated 2<sup>nd</sup> October, 1962 which was tendered in evidence by the first defendant as exhibit ‘4’. At this time, Chief Yaw Berdjua had passed away and Nana Adu Kwame II represented the Atene Stool. The head lease evinced that the plot of land was alienated to Chief Yaw Berdjuah personally because no reference was made to the stool in the lease, but it would appear the property was appropriated for the Atene stool by his successors. Hence, Nana Adu Kwame II, representing the stool, in terms of exhibit ‘5’, assigned the remaining interests of the stool to the plaintiff herein to hold in trust for one James Osei Kwaku Owusu who is her son. The stool sold its interest to the plaintiff for an amount of £7,000.00. The exhibit also recorded that the consent of both the Government, represented by Kofi Asante Ofori Atta Esquire, then Minister of Justice of Ghana, and the late Asantehene, Nana Sir Osei Agyemang Prempeh II, as President of Kumasi Traditional Council were duly obtained before the assignment was executed in favour of the plaintiff. Exhibit ‘5’, the deed of assignment, is dated 12<sup>th</sup> December, 1963. Plaintiff took possession of the property after the execution of exhibit ‘5’ and realizing that the head lease was due to expire on 31<sup>st</sup> December 1984, instructed her lawyer to apply to the Lands Commission through the Ashanti Regional Office, by a letter dated 22<sup>nd</sup> November, 1984 for renewal of the lease in her favour. According to the plaintiff, after she put in her application, she followed up to the Secretariat of the Commission in Kumasi and upon her enquiries regarding the fate of the application was told by the lawyer for the Commission, one Mr. Acromon to exercise patience because the area where the disputed property is situated was to be re-zoned and assured her she would be invited after the completion of the exercise. She said she did not hear from the Commission until in January, 1995 when she was served with a quit notice by the lawyer for the 2<sup>nd</sup> defendant.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">Whilst she continued to possess the property even after the expiration of her assignment and waited to be contacted by the 1<sup>st</sup> defendant, the 2<sup>nd</sup> defendant wrote through his lawyer to the Executive Secretary of Lands Commission applying for a grant of fresh lease of the disputed property to the Atene Stool on the ground that the stool is the original lessee of the property. The letter was written on 4<sup>th</sup> August, 1991, almost seven years after the application of plaintiff to the Commission for the same purpose. It was admitted in evidence in this trial as exhibit ‘14’. The application on behalf of the stool, represented by Nana Boakye Yiadom Atonsa II, who is the current occupant of the stool, found favour with the Commission as a fresh lease for a term of fifteen (15) years, commencing 1<sup>st</sup> January, 1994 till 31<sup>st</sup> December, 2009, at a rent of 500,000.00 old cedis per annum was granted it for the property to be used for commercial purposes. The plaintiff became dissatisfied with the decision of the Lands Commission preferring the Atene Stool to her relative to the renewal of the lease for the disputed property though she has been in possession since 1963 when the Atene Stool sold its interests to her, has mounted this action against the Commission and the current occupant of the Atene stool.By her amended writ of summons of 9<sup>th</sup> June, 2010 she claimed the following reliefs against the defendants:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">An order setting aside any lease or purported lease executed in favour of the 2<sup>nd</sup> defendant by the 1<sup>st</sup> defendant <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">A declaration that the plaintiff is better entitled to renewal of the lease in her favour.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">An order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from interfering with plaintiff’s title and possession of the subject property and in