THE REPUBLIC vs. HIGH COURT, ACCRA EX PARTE; DAN ASHIE KOTEY [2015]DLSC3045

Date	2015-03-18
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. J5/9/2015
Citation No.	[2015]DLSC3045

ANSAH JSC (PRESIDING)

DOTSE JSC

ANIN YEBOAH JSC

BAFFOE BONNIE JSC

AKOTO- BAMFO (MRS) JSC

THEOPHILUS CUDJOE ESQ. FOR THE APPLICANT.

THERESA BOADU ESQ. FOR THE INTERESTED PARTY.

[2015]DLSC3045
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>HIGH COURT,
ACCRA<o:p></o:p>EX PARTE;
DAN ASHIE KOTEY<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp; [SUPREME COURT,
ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

CIVIL APPEAL NO. J5/9/2015&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: 18TH
MARCH, 2015<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>THEOPHILUS
CUDJOE ESQ.&nbsp; FOR THE APPLICANT.<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

THERESA
BOADU ESQ. FOR THE INTERESTED PARTY.<o:p></o:p>

</div>&nbsp;CORAM: <o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

ANSAH JSC (PRESIDING), DOTSE JSC, ANIN YEBOAH JSC,
BAFFOE BONNIE JSC, AND AKOTO- BAMFO (MRS) JSC<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

JUDGEMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>ANSAH JSC:<o:p></o:p>On 17-03-15 this court
unanimously dismissed an application by the applicant an order from this court
to issue a prohibition order against the trial judge to restrain her from
proceeding to hear a matter before her; we intimated to give our reasons for
our ruling later. We hereby proceed to do so now.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>Pursuant to the provisions
of article 132 of the 1992 Constitution, the applicant herein moved this court
for an order for prohibition directed at the High Court, Court 23, Accra,
presided over by Her Ladyship Mrs. Justice Naa Adoley Azu, prohibiting her from
proceeding to hear the case entitled A.G. Boadu v The Registrar, High Court
&amp; others, suit numbered BMISC 501/2014, pending before her.<o:p></o:p>The grounds of the
application as revealed by the motion paper are that:<o:p></o:p>1.“There is a real likelihood of bias
on the part of Her Ladyship Mrs. Justice Naa Adoley Azu against the case of the
defendants, as shown by various statements of Her Ladyship the presiding judge
even before the commencement of the hearing of the case proper indicating
strongly that the defendants will not get a fair trial.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>2. On the 27th November
2014, the 3rd defendant petitioned the office of Her Ladyship the
Chief Justice requesting that Her Ladyship Justice Naa Adoley Azu be stopped
from hearing the matter and remitting the matter back to Court 8 for hearing by
the presiding judge; Her Ladyship the Chief Justice however responded by a
letter dated the 3rd November 2014 refusing the petition and
advising co-operation with the court for an expeditious and early disposal of
the matter;<o:p></o:p>3. The letter refusing the petition
was signed by the First Deputy Judicial Secretary for the Judicial Secretary
and the letter indicated that it had attached to it the order of transfer under
the signature of &nbsp;Her Ladyship the Chief
Justice herself; however, the attachment was not with the letter and therefore
under the circumstances the 3rd defendants’ representative went to
the Office of the Judicial Secretary on several dates and times to get it but
never got it to date; however a hearing notice for the matter dated the 16th
&nbsp;December, 2014, was served on the 3rd
defendant on the 19th December 2014; however, hearing did not take
place on that date and the matter was adjourned to the 9th January
2015; the matter was then adjourned for continuation of the hearing on the 16th
January 2015.” &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<o:p></o:p>The facts that led to the
institution of the present application, as revealed in the supporting affidavit,
were that the interested party herein instituted an action per his writ of
summons entitled in suit number Number BMISC 506/2014, entitled AG Boadu v 1)
The Registrar, High Court; 2) The Deputy Sheriff, High Court, Accra; 3) Daniel
Ashie Kotei, for the reliefs that:<o:p></o:p>(i) Plaintiff claims
against the defendants jointly and severally a declaration that the demolition
of his (2) two storey buildings at Ofankor/Kplangonnno also known as the firing
range is unlawful. <o:p></o:p>(ii) General damages for
unlawful destruction of plaintiffs property.<o:p></o:p>(iii) Special damages. <o:p></o:p>(iv)Perpetual injunction
retraining the defendants their agents, servants and assigns, from interfering
with plaintiffs houses at Ofankor/Kplangonoo also known as the firing range.<o:p></o:p>(v) An order setting aside
the default judgment of 31st day of January 1996 in the case of Nii
Olai Amontia v Lands Commission &amp; another Suit No: L 776/95. <o:p></o:p>