BENYAK COMPANY LTD vs. PAYTELL LTD & 3 ORS [2014]DLSC6390

Date	2014-02-05
Suit No.	CIVILAPPEALNO.J4/19/2010
Citation No.	[2014]DLSC6390

ADINYIRA (MRS) JSC PRESIDING

YEBOAH JSC

GBADEGBE JSC

BAMFO (MRS) JSC

AKAMBA JSC

KIZITO BEYUO FOR THE PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT/ APPELLANT.

PETER ZWENNES FOR THE 1ST 2ND AND 3RD DEFENDANTS / RESPONDENTS /RESPONDENTS.

<p class="mb-5" id="contentDlCitation"  hidden>[2014]DLSC6390</p>
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;color:#00B0F0">BENYAK COMPANY LTD<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">vs.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;color:#00B0F0">PAYTELL LTD &amp; 3 ORS<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">[SUPREME
COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%;
border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;
mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">CIVILAPPEALNO.J4/19/2010&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: 5<sup>TH</sup> FEBRUARY 2014<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;border:none;
mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">PETER
ZWENNES FOR THE 1ST, 2ND AND 3RD DEFENDANTS / RESPONDENTS /RESPONDENTS.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%;
border:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;mso-border-bottom-alt:
solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0in 1.0pt 0in"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">ANIN YEBOAH JSC <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">This
is an appeal from the unanimous decision of the Court of Appeal, Accra, which
affirmed the decision of the High Court, Accra, in favour of the defendants/
respondents/ respondents hereinafter simply referred to as the defendants. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">The
plaintiff/appellant/appellant (who for the sake of brevity shall be referred to
in this appeal) as the plaintiff, issued a writ of summons against the
defendants on 20/10/2003 for declaration of title to a piece or parcel of land
at Kwabenya. The allegations of facts pleaded against the defendants appeared
to be straightforward and simple to comprehend. The plaintiff averred that in
1999, one Ben Nyarko trading under the name and style of BENYAK VENTURES
acquired over thirty (30) acres of vacant land at Kwabenya from NII NAGLESHIE
ADDY-ABOASA family of Accra, the registered proprietors of the land at the Land
Title Registry and NII ARYEE ANANG, head and lawful representative of the NII ODAI
NTOW family of Ashonmang[sic], Accra, original allodial owners whose larger
interest is registered at the Lands’ Commission of which the land in dispute
forms part. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">According
to the plaintiff, he traces his root of title from the two families.&nbsp; It was pleaded that the plaintiff went into
effective possession and erected various structures thereon after taking steps
to register all the relevant documents on the land from his grantors.&nbsp; The third defendant herein thereafter
asserted ownership of the land in dispute by virtue of a transfer from the
plaintiff’s grantor NII ARYEE ANANG.&nbsp; It
was pleaded that the third defendant has no such land and whatever document he
had obtained from the plaintiff’s grantor was fraught with fraud as the
signature of the plaintiff’s grantor NII ARYEE ANANG was forged or the third
defendant had inserted a site plan larger than the area covered by a grant
allegedly made to him by the said NII ARYEE ANANG without the knowledge and
consent of the grantor.&nbsp; It was further
given as particulars of fraud that the third defendant had colluded with
officials at the Lands’ Commission Secretariat to register the alleged forged
documents transferring the disputed land into the third defendant’s name who
subsequently transferred part of the land to the first defendant.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">On
the issue of trespass, the plaintiff averred that the first, second and third
defendants procured thugs to demolish buildings and other structures on the
land and caused damages to cement blocks, sand and other materials on the land
on several occasions.&nbsp; The plaintiff
averred further that it had to resort to legal action for declaration of title,
cancellation of the title deeds registered by the fourth defendant (which is
the Lands Commission, Accra) in favour of the 3rd defendant and the other usual
ancillary relief of damages. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">The
first, second and third defendants filed a common statement of defence and
stoutly denied virtually all the allegations of facts pleaded by the plaintiff
in the statement of claim.&nbsp; It was
contended by way of answer that the plaintiff’s grantor had no land at the
place where the land in dispute falls and that the third defendant contended that
the ODAI NTOW FAMILY owned all the lands at Kwabenya and not the plaintiff’s
grantor.&nbsp; Two judgments dated 28/04/1904
and 1980 respectively were pleaded as judgments delivered in favour of the
third defendant’s grantors and that the Odai Ntow family lands are known as
Ashongman Lands of which Kwabenya lands forms part.&nbsp; The defendants further pleaded that the 3rd
defendant is an elder of the Odai Ntow family of which Nii Aryee Anang was the
acting head and as a member of the family, the 3rd defendant occupied the land
in dispute exclusively and the plaintiff’s grantor could not dispossess him of
his title without the consent of the third defendant. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">The
third defendant stated that he had his grant from the family which was
subsequently formally confirmed by an indenture dated the 26/04/1986, executed
by Nii Aryee Anang and any subsequent grant by his grantor to the plaintiff
could either be by mistake or through ignorance of the identity of the land
which all the principal members of the family knew to be owned by the third
defendant.&nbsp; The allegation of fraud was
also stoutly denied by the defendants as well as the allegations of
trespass.&nbsp; The third defendant lodged a
counterclaim against the plaintiff for cancellation of the Land Title
Certificate issued to the plaintiff on grounds of error or mistake. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">Given
the nature of the pleadings, it appeared that the fourth defendant, that is,
The Lands Commission was a nominal defendant but it, however, filed a statement
of defence denying that it ever colluded with any person to register the title
deeds of the third defendant,&nbsp; as alleged
by the plaintiff. Some interlocutory applications in the nature of Notice to
Produce etc were filed which did not materially influenced the proceedings in
anyway. The suit also suffered several amendments to the statement of claim.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">Given
the fact this case falls within a narrow compass, few issues were unearthed.
The High Court, Accra, after hearing the parties in a keenly contested manner
delivered judgment on 29/06/2005 by which the court dismissed the claim of the
plaintiff on the simple grounds that the plaintiff had failed to prove his
claim on the preponderance of probabilities.&nbsp;
Aggrieved by the judgment of the High Court, the plaintiff lodged an
appeal to the Court of Appeal which dismissed the appeal and only reversed the
finding of the trial High Court judge that one Evans Okai Anteh had admitted
witnessing or executing exhibit “3” as the said finding in its view was not
supported by the evidence on record.&nbsp; The
plaintiff has lodged this second appeal before this court to seek the reversal
of the judgment of the Court o</main>