[2015]DLCA5214 Login to Read Full Case <span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><span class="NoSpacingChar"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; color:#00B0F0">DR. KWADWO DARKO</span></b></span><span class="NoSpacingChar"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""> <o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><span class="NoSpacingChar"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">(PLAINTIFF/ RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";color:#00B0F0">vs.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;tab-stops:266.25pt"><span class="NoSpacingChar"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";color:#00B0F0">ERIC JOHNSON</span></b></span><span class="NoSpacingChar"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""> <o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;tab-stops:266.25pt"><span class="NoSpacingChar"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">(1ST DEFENDANT/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;tab-stops:266.25pt"><span class="NoSpacingChar"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";color:#00B0F0">SAMUEL ADDO OSEI<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;tab-stops:266.25pt"><span class="NoSpacingChar"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">(<i>2ND DEFENDANT/ APPELLANT</i>)<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;tab-stops:266.25pt"><span class="NoSpacingChar"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></i></span></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, 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: H1/37/2015</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""> 12<sup>TH</sup> DECEMBER, 2015<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%"><b><span lang="EN-GB" 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-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">ALBERT ADAARE FOR THE DEFENDANTS/ APPELLANTS<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 lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">SAMUEL QUANSAH- ANSAH FOR PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT <o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"">CORAM: </span></b><span lang="EN-GB" 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" 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 lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">MARFUL-SAU JA (PRESIDING), AGNES DORDZIE JA, GERTRUDE TORKORNOO JA<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""><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" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;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:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"">JUDGMENT</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"">MARFUL-SAU, JA:</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""> <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"">On the 3<sup>rd</sup> of May 2007, the property known as No.176/14, Dzorwulu, Accra was sold at an auction pursuant to a judgment entered against the 2<sup>nd</sup> defendant/ appellant herein, by the District Court, Osu, Accra; in the case titled Mark Atiamo v. Samuel Addo Osei in Suit No A2/12/05. The said property was purchased by the plaintiff/ respondent herein who paid the consideration of </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">₵</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">910, 000,000.00 (GH</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">₵</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""> 91,000.00) and as a result a Certificate of Purchase was issued to him by the court. However, on the 8<sup>th</sup> of August 2007, the 2<sup>nd</sup> defendant/appellant managed to set aside the auction sale of his house. The order setting aside the auction sale was subsequently vacated by the same District court, Osu, differently constituted on the 17<sup>th</sup> September 2007. The 2<sup>nd</sup> defendant /appellant appealed against the order vacating the earlier order setting aside the sale and obtained an order of stay of execution pending the appeal to the High Court. From the record it seems the 2<sup>nd</sup> defendant/appellant after the appeal issued a fresh writ of summons in the High Court, against the plaintiff/respondent herein and the Auctioneer who conducted the sale, this writ was however abandoned by the 2<sup>nd</sup> defendant/appellant.<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"">Now, having filed the appeal in the High Court and obtained an order of stay of execution in the District Court, the 2<sup>nd</sup> defendant/appellant negotiated and sold the house the subject of the appeal to the 1<sup>st</sup> defendant/ appellant. The record of appeal reveals that before the plaintiff/ respondent could take absolute possession of the property in dispute the 1<sup>st</sup> defendant/appellant moved unto the property demolished it and constructed a new structure on the land. The plaintiff/ respondent, who had purchased the same property at the auction then took out this writ of summons at the High Court against the 1<sup>st</sup> and 2<sup>nd</sup> defendants/appellants for the reliefs below among others:-<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"">a)declaration of title to the disputed property and recovery of possession;<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"">b) perpetual injunction restraining the 1<sup>st</sup> defendant from developing the disputed property;<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"">c) and various specified damages.<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"">The 1<sup>st</sup> defendant/appellant in his defence counterclaimed for the following reliefs:-<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"">i)declaration that the 1<sup>st</sup> defendant is the bona fide purchaser of the disputed property for value without notice of any prior encumbrance;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" styl