[2015]DLCA4395 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 style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";color:#00B0F0">2000 LIMITED<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" align="center" style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-add-space:auto;text-align:center"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS""> (PLAINTIFF/ APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;tab-stops: 117.4pt center 229.5pt left 273.75pt"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";color:#00B0F0"> vs. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";color:#00B0F0">FRANCIS OTOO<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS""> </span></i><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">(DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS""><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">[COURT OF APPEAL (CIVIL DIVISION), ACCRA]</span><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma"><o:p></o:p></span></b></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" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;border:none; mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"">CIVIL APPEAL NO: H1/118/2013</span></b><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma"> </span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">DATE:</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""> 15<sup>TH</sup> DECEMBER, 2015<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%"><b><span 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 style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">SAMUEL ADU BOAHENE FOR APPELLANT.<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="MsoNoSpacing" style="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:"Book Antiqua","serif"">KWASI AGYENIM BOATENG FOR RESPONDENT WITH HIM MS CONSTANCE QUIST.<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">CORAM: <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="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:"Book Antiqua","serif"">P. K. GYAESAYOR JA (PRESIDING), I. LARBI (MRS.) JA, M. M. AGYEMANG (MRS.) JA<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""><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="MsoNoSpacing" 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"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><b><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Arial">M. M. AGYEMANG (MRS.) JA:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial">In this appeal, the plaintiff/appellant (hereafter referred to alternately as the plaintiff or the appellant) prays this court to set aside the judgment of the High Court Fast Track Division, delivered on 24th day of May 2014, dismissing the claim of the appellant and entering judgment for the defendant/respondent (referred to hereafter alternately as the defendant or the respondent) on his counterclaim.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial">The matters antecedent to the present appeal are as follows: the appellant brought a suit at the court below alleging that it was involved with the respondent in a business transaction out of which a debt of GHC 36, 812.00 owed to it, had arisen. The said transaction allegedly came about when the parties entered into a contract on the 6<sup>th</sup> of September 2007; it was for the distribution by the respondent of the appellants goods. The transaction which was said to be in the nature of a credit sale agreement, required the respondent to pay for the goods within thirty days of supply by the appellant. It was the case of the appellant that the respondent’s attempt to defray the outstanding debt had resulted in his issuance of three cheques to the appellant. The said cheques, with face value of GHC16,812; GHC 10,000 and GHC 10,000 drawn on Ecobank Ridge Road Branch, Accra, were all dishonoured. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial">Thus did the appellant as plaintiff, commence an action at the court below seeking alternative reliefs, being: a declaration that the respondent was indebted to it in the said sum of GHC36,812.00; an order for the said sum to be paid to it with interest at the prevailing bank rate calculated from due date to the date of final payment, or in the alternative, that the respondent be made to pay the face value of the dishonoured cheques with interest from the date of dishonour until the date of payment.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial">The issue regarding the alleged outstanding debt was joined when the respondent in his pleading as defendant, denied that the parties had operated under the agreement of 6<sup>th</sup> September 2007. The respondent who denied the existence of the debt claimed by the plaintiff pleaded that he in fact had no contract with the plaintiff as the said contract of 6<sup>th</sup>September2007 had been frustrated due to his inability to secure a shop for the sale of the plaintiff’s goods, an alleged condition precedent to the operation of the agreement. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial">The respondent however claimed that he had had an agreement prior to the 6<sup>th</sup> September agreement with one Majid, the Managing Director of the appellant, in the latter’s personal capacity, and this was with regard to the distribution of MTN phone cards. This agreement he alleged, had produced a debt of GHC223,620.24. This, as well as an order for the calculation and payment of commission due the respondent, were the subject of his counterclaim. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial">At the close of pleadings, eight issues were set out for the determination of the trial court. As was observed by the learned trial judge, only two of the issues arising from the pleadings were gone into, being: whether or not the defendant was indebted to the plaintiff, and whether or not the plaintiff was indebted to the defendant on his counterclaim. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial">Before the trial commenced, the court, by the agreement of the parties, made an order for the appointment by the Registrar of a Court Expert to go into the respective accounts and submit a report to it. It was implicit in the order that the report produced would assist the court to determine the alleged indebtedness of the parties on the claim and counterclaim. The said Court’s Expert, a