CHRIS KUMASSAH-AGBOGLI vs. ATTORNEY-GENERAL AND ANOTHER [2015]DLCA8288

Date	2015-03-05
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. H1/140/2014
Citation No.	[2015]DLCA8288

F. KUSI-APPIAH J.A. (PRESIDING)

F.G. KORBIEH J.A.

WELBOURNE (MRS.) J.A.

MR. AKABA T. PAINE FOR PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT

FRENDI (S A) FOR DEFENDANTS/RESPONDENTS

[2015]DLCA8288
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >CHRIS KUMASSAH-AGBOGLI<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B0F0;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">vs.<o:p></o:p>ATTORNEY-GENERAL AND ANOTHER<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANTS/RESPONDENTS)<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>[COURT OF APPEAL,
KOFORIDUA]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

CIVIL APPEAL NO. H1/140/2014&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: 5TH MARCH, 2015<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>MR. AKABA T. PAINE FOR PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT <o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

FRENDI (S A) FOR
DEFENDANTS/RESPONDENTS<o:p></o:p>

</div><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">CORAM:<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

F. KUSI-APPIAH J.A.
(PRESIDING), F.G. KORBIEH J.A., WELBOURNE (MRS.) J.A.<o:p></o:p>

</div>&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="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">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>F.G. KORBIEH, J.A.<o:p></o:p>The
10th – 16th April 2003 edition of the “Crusading Guide”
newspaper carried an article captioned: “$30,000 Fraud Uncovered – As Official
of Registrar-General’s Department inflates cost of Registration of Company and
pockets surplus cash.” The article alleged that the plaintiff/appellant herein
was the perpetrator of the fraud. Subsequent to the publication, the
Registrar-General set up a committee to go into the allegation made by the
newspaper. The committee duly investigated the matter and found, among other
things, that the plaintiff/appellant (hereinafter referred to only as the
plaintiff (then a Principle Executive Officer at the Registrar-General’s
Department (RGD) ) had collected an amount of US$30,000.00 from a foreign
investor (ostensibly on behalf of the Registrar-General) and issued a
hand-written receipt to that effect. The committee also found that the
plaintiff had thereby committed an act of gross misconduct under the provisions
of the Civil Service Act, 1960 (Act 5). The plaintiff was accordingly dismissed
from the civil service. The plaintiff’s petition against his dismissal was
turned down by the Head of Civil Service. The plaintiff therefore instituted an
action in the High Court seeking (1) a declaration that his dismissal was
unlawful, (2) an order for his reinstatement in the civil Service, (3) an order
for compensation, (4) an order for his promotion and (5) costs. The
defendants/respondents (hereinafter referred to only as the defendants) denied
that they were liable. They averred that the investigative committee set up by
the Registrar-General had found the plaintiff guilty of fraud and that his
dismissal was in accordance with the relevant law. Issues were therefore joined
and a trial ensued. At the end of the trial the trial court held that the
defendants were not liable and accordingly threw out the plaintiff’s claim in
its entirety. The trial court made several findings of fact, the most important
of which, to my mind, were the following: (a) that the plaintiff had collected
US$30,000.00 from a foreign investor as consideration for completing
documentation to enable the foreign investor invest in a company called
Heritage Mineral Marketing Company Limited; (b) that the plaintiff&nbsp; took the money on behalf of the
Registrar-General when he was not authorized to do so and (c) that the
plaintiff had misconducted himself&nbsp;
within the general law and the meaning of section 76(1) of the Civil
Service Act, 1993 (PNDC 327). <o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The
plaintiff, dissatisfied with the judgment of the High Court, filed an appeal on
the following initial ground:<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:0cm;
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text-align:justify;text-indent:-.15pt;line-height:150%;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1">(a)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
The
judgment is against the weight of the evidence. <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:0cm;
margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:28.5pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;
text-align:justify;text-indent:-.15pt;line-height:150%;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1">(b)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Additional
grounds to be filed upon receipt of the record of appeal.<o:p></o:p>