MART OPOKU vs. ALEX KLU YAO [2015]DLCA5318

Date	2015-07-09
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. H1/137/2010
Citation No.	[2015]DLCA5318

MARFUL- SAU JA (PRESIDING)

KORBIEH JA

TORKORNOO JA

K. FRIMPONG- BOADU FOR DEFENDANT/APPELLANT

AKUFO-ADDO PREMPEH &CO FOR PLAINTIF/RESPONDENT

[2015]DLCA5318
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >MART
OPOKU<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>ALEX
KLU YAO<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>[COURT OF APPEAL, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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CIVIL APPEAL NO. H1/137/2010&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;&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: 9TH JULY, 2015<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>K. FRIMPONG- BOADU FOR
DEFENDANT/APPELLANT<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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AKUFO-ADDO,
PREMPEH &amp;CO FOR PLAINTIF/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;
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MARFUL-
SAU JA (PRESIDING), KORBIEH JA, TORKORNOO JA <o:p></o:p>

</div>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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<p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:
.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:center;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:
solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>MARFUL-SAU,
JA:<o:p></o:p>This
appeal is from the judgment of the High Court, Land Division, Accra. In the said
judgment which is dated the 19th May 2009 the plaintiff/ respondent
herein was declared the owner of the land the subject matter of this action.
The defendant/appellant being dissatisfied with the said judgment has appealed
to this court praying that the judgment be reversed. In this appeal the
defendant will be referred to as the appellant while the plaintiff will be
referred to as the respondent.&nbsp; In the
notice of appeal the appellant formulated only one ground which is the omnibus
ground that the judgment was against the weight of evidence adduced at the
trial. The appellant in his written submission seems to indicate that
additional grounds were filed and same argued. From the written submission the
additional grounds were:-<o:p></o:p>a.
That the learned trial judge erred in not finding out which of the grantors of
the plaintiff and defendant was the owner of the land and a rightful person to
make a valid grant of the land to any of the parties.<o:p></o:p>b.
The learned trial judge erred in not considering the searches exhibited by the
parties in the suit to find out which of the parties could be a prudent
purchaser.<o:p></o:p>c.
The learned trial judge erred in not finding that the plaintiff’s grantor’s
land certificate was obtained by mistake and same ought to be set aside or
cancelled.<o:p></o:p>Before
I proceed further, it is important to state that the respondent in this appeal
failed to file a written submission in response to that filed by the appellant,
so this judgment has been settled without any input from the respondent. The record
of this appeal indicates that on the 17th December 2014, this court
coram:-Mariama Owusu, JA, Acquaye, JA and Torkornoo JA, granted an application
for substituted service of the appellant’s written submission on the
respondent. On the 31st of March 2015 this court observed that the written
submission of the appellant was served by substitution on the 9th of
January 2015, as per the affidavit of posting dated the 13th
February 2015. As at 31st March 2015 when this appeal was last
mentioned the respondent had not filed his written submission so the appeal was
adjourned for judgment.<o:p></o:p>What
are the facts of this case? The respondent’s case as revealed by the evidence
on record is that he acquired the land in dispute from the Nii Ngleshie Addy
Family of Accra. According to the evidence the respondent’s land is about ten
plots. The respondent’s grantor had registered the parcel of land at the Land
Title Registry and a land certificate issued in 1993. The certificate was
tendered at the trial as Exhibit F. Th</main>