[2015]DLCA8029 Login to Read Full Case <span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; color:#00B0F0">JOSEPH OKLEY</span></b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">(PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT)</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center"><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"; color:#00B0F0">vs.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><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">DEVTRACO LTD & 1 OR.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">(1ST DEFENDANT/APPELLANT/APPLICANT)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><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">LAND COMMISSION</span></b><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="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">(2<sup>ND</sup> DEFENDANT)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">[COURT OF APPEAL, ACCRA]<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;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; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">SUIT NO: H3/19/2015</span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"> </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"">DATE: </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">10<sup>TH </sup></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"">FEBRUARY, 2015</span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></b></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"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif">MR. DAVID KUDOADZI FOR 1<sup>ST</sup> APPLICANT<b><u><o:p></o:p></u></b></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="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;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">MR. ANKOMAH MENSAH FOR RESPONDENT<b><u><o:p></o:p></u></b></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><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="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;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">OWUSU M. (PRESIDING), DORDZIE J.A., GYAN J.A.<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"> <b><o:p></o:p></b></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="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;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">RULING<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> </div><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;line-height:normal"><b><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">MARIAMA OWUSU, J.A:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-top:12.0pt;margin-right:0cm; margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto; text-align:justify;line-height:150%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">At the court’s sitting on 4-2-2015, the 1<sup>st</sup> Defendant/Appellant/Applicant moved this court to punish the Plaintiff/Respondent/Respondent for willfully disobeying the orders of this court and thereby putting the administration of justice into disrepute.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-top:12.0pt;margin-right:0cm; margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto; text-align:justify;line-height:150%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-top:12.0pt;margin-right:0cm; margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto; text-align:justify;line-height:150%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">The basis of the applicant’s application is that sometime 20-5-2014, this court differently constituted stayed execution of the judgment of the High Court in respect of this matter pending the final hearing and determination of the appeal filed. The Plaintiff/Respondent/Respondent in spite of this court’s order stated above, has proceeded to sell the vacant plots in front of their properties to third parties who have begun to develop the land in spite of warnings and protestations from the 1<sup>st</sup> Defendant/Appellant/Applicant. It is the case of the applicant that it reported the matter to the police who advised the respondent and his purchasers to desist from any further development on the land which advice the respondent and his purchasers have ignored hence this action. The applicant attached Exhibit ‘C’ series, which exhibits are photographs of the state of the land at the time stay of execution was granted and at the moment just to show the haste with which the respondent and his purchasers are developing the land in dispute. See paragraphs 6 – 11 of the Affidavit in support.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-top:12.0pt;margin-right:0cm; margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto; text-align:justify;line-height:150%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-top:12.0pt;mso-add-space:auto; text-align:justify;line-height:150%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">The Plaintiff/Respondent/Respondent opposed the application and filed affidavit in opposition to that effect. He invited us to dismiss the application as being incompetent. His reason being that, by the combined effect of <i>Rule 21 and 28 </i>of the <i>Court of Appeal Rules, 1997 (as amended) C.I. 19</i>, this application ought to have been filed before the trial Court. This is because the record of appeal has not yet been transmitted to this court. Consequently, this application is incompetent and same ought be dismissed. On the applicant’s complaint that the respondent and his purchasers are developing the disputed land, counsel for the respondent referred to exhibit ‘A’ attached to the affidavit in opposition and submitted that, the respondent has not gone onto the disputed land after this court granted the applicant’s application for Stay of Execution on the 20-5-2014. The respondent concluded that he has not violated any order of this court as no activity is going on on the land. Counsel for the respondent therefore invited us to dismiss this application.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-top:12.0pt;mso-add-space:auto; text-align:justify;line-height:150%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-top:12.0pt;margin-right:0cm; margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto; text-align:justify;line-height:150%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">Order 21 of the Court of Appeal Rules, C.I. 19 provides as follows:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-top:12.0pt;margin-right:0cm; margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:36.0pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto; text-align:justify;line-height:150%"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">“After the record of appeal has been transmitted from the Court below to the court, the court shall be seized of the whole proceedings as between the parties and every application shall be made to the court and not to the court below, but an application may be filed in the court belo