DELIMAN OIL COMPANY LIMITED vs. HFC BANK GHANA LIMITED [2015]DLCA8290

Date	2015-03-17
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL SUIT NO: H1/14/2014
Citation No.	[2015]DLCA8290

DENNIS D. ADJEI (J.A.) – PRESIDING

LOVELACE-JOHNSON (J.A.)

B. ACKAH-YENSU J.A.

MOHAMMED AWAL FOR PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT ABSENT

SULLEY SUMBIAN FOR DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT ABSENT

[2015]DLCA8290
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >DELIMAN OIL COMPANY LIMITED<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>HFC BANK GHANA LIMITED<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT/
RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>[COURT OF APPEAL,
TAMALE]<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 SUIT NO: H1/14/2014&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:
17TH
MARCH, 2015<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>MOHAMMED AWAL FOR PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT ABSENT<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">

SULLEY SUMBIAN FOR
DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT ABSENT<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">

DENNIS
D. ADJEI (J.A.) – PRESIDING, LOVELACE-JOHNSON (J.A.), B. ACKAH-YENSU 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;
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">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>BARBARA
ACKAH-YENSU, JA<o:p></o:p>The Plaintiff/Appellant (hereinafter simply
referred to as “Plaintiff”) instituted an action in the Commercial Division of
the High Court sitting at Tamale against the Defendant/Respondent (also to be
referred to as “Defendant”), claiming that Plaintiff was the lawful owner of a
filing station situated at Savelugu on the Tamale/Bolgatanga Highway which
Defendant had attached in execution of a judgment debt owed by Limobia Company
Ltd. <o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>According to the Plaintiff, it acquired the land
from the Chief of Savelugu and put up the filing station, subsequent to which
it contracted with Mesuna Abdallah under a Dealership Agreement to run the said
filling station on commission basis.&nbsp; The
Plaintiff averred further that it came to its notice that the Defendant had attached
this filling station in execution of a judgment against Limobia Company Ltd in
Suit No. E2/70/2010 titled HFC Bank (Gh)
Ltd vrs. Limobia Company Ltd in respect of some financial transaction
between the two parties. That, in execution of the said judgment, the Defendant
had attached the Plaintiff’s Fuel Filing Station when it had never had any
dealings with the Defendant and could not under any circumstances be liable to
the Defendant. <o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The Defendant in its Statement of Defence narrated
the chronology of events leading to the attachment of the property in dispute
and its subsequent sale by auction.&nbsp; The Defendant
contended that Limobia Company Limited not only run the filling station but
also used the premises for selling water known as Limobia Drinking Water.&nbsp; This use of the premises, according to Defendant,
clearly showed that Limobia Company Ltd was the owner of the property and not
the Plaintiff. The Defendant contended further that the Plaintiff did not prosecute
the Interpleader processes it had filed.&nbsp;
That the reason for its failure to do so could only be that the
Plaintiff had no interest whatsoever in the disputed property.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>As stated above, the trial court entered judgment
against the Plaintiff.&nbsp; It is against
this judgment that the Plaintiff, aggrieved and dissatisfied, has filed this
appeal which is mounted on two grounds; namely:<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>“(i) The judgment is against the weight of
evidence<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>&nbsp;(ii) The
judge erred in law on question of the burden of proof”.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>Rule 8 of the Court of Appeal Rules, 1997 (C.I.19)
deals with “Notice and Grounds of Civil Appeals”.&nbsp; It provides inter alia as follows:<o:p></o:p>