[2015]DLCA8333 Login to Read Full Case <span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;color:#00B0F0">WEST CROWN INVESTMENT CO. LTD.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">(PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"; color:#00B0F0;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">vs.<o:p></o:p></span></b></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:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; color:#00B0F0">EDMOND ADOM MALM AND STEPHEN YEBOAH<o:p></o:p></span></b></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:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">(DEFENDANTS/RESPONDENTS)<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-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:150%; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">[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:9.0pt; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">SUIT NO.: H1/74/2015 </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">7<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"">MAY, 2015</span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:150%;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">SOLOMON C. ESHUN FOR THE PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT<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" 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">NANA K. NKRAKWA FOR THE DEFENDANTS/RESPONDENTS<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">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">KANYOKE J.A. (PRESIDING), ACQUAYE J.A., WELBOURNE(MRS) J.A.<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"> <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-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:9.0pt;margin-bottom:0cm; margin-left:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent:9.0pt"><b><i><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">ACQUAYE, J. A.<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:9.0pt"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">The plaintiff/appellant issued a writ of summons in the High Court, Accra claiming:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left:2.0cm;mso-add-space:auto; text-indent:0cm;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:15.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"">1.<span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">An order to restrain the 1<sup>st</sup> Defendant from interfering with the construction of the shop on property No. 155, Atomic Road, Haatso in Accra.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:2.0cm;mso-add-space: auto;text-indent:0cm;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:15.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">2.<span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">An order for the 2<sup>nd</sup> Defendant to stop paying any money to the 1<sup>st</sup> Defendant. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left:2.0cm;mso-add-space:auto; text-indent:0cm;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:15.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"">3.<span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">A declaration that the 2<sup>nd</sup> defendant pays any money to the 1<sup>st</sup> defendant at his own risk.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">The plaintiff’s case was that on 1<sup>st</sup> January 2006 he signed an agreement with the 1<sup>st</sup> defendant by which he leased the frontage of 1<sup>st</sup> defendant’s house at Haatso in Accra in order to build a 10 room store house within two (2) years. After construction of the storerooms the plaintiff would give to the 1<sup>st</sup> defendant one storeroom on the ground floor and another room on the first floor for 1<sup>st</sup> defendant’s use. The lease was to last for 35 years after which the store house would revert to the 1<sup>st</sup> defendant. As at July 2009 the plaintiff had completed the shops on the ground floor and had given the 1<sup>st</sup> defendant possession of one store. On 10<sup>th</sup> July 2008 the 1<sup>st</sup> defendant’s lawyer wrote to the plaintiff complaining of the plaintiff’s failure to complete the construction of the storerooms within the two years stipulated in the leasehold agreement and gave him four months to rectify the breach. The plaintiff complained that his failure to complete the project within time was due to the necessity to obtain the requisite building permits and the 1<sup>st</sup> defendant and his son interfering in the plaintiff’s efforts to obtain pre-financing of the project from prospective tenants. When the plaintiff sued in 2009 for his claims the defendants denied interfering with the payments of rent advances by the plaintiff’s prospective tenants but complained of the plaintiffs failure to complete the construction of the 10 storerooms within two (2) years thus depriving him of the use of the second storeroom. The 1<sup>st</sup> defendant counterclaimed for a declaration that the plaintiff was in breach of the lease agreement and an order for the 1<sup>st</sup> defendant to re-enter the property.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">Before hearing of the suit commenced the parties negotiated and filed terms of settlement on 21<sup>st</sup> January 2011 which was adopted as consent judgment by the trial court. The terms of settlement as entered by the trial court on 24<sup>th</sup> January 2011 were<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:1.0cm"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif"> 1. “Plaintiff shall continue and complete the construction of the stores and offices within two years from the date of filing these terms of settlement.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" styl