THE REPUBLIC vs. HIGH COURT, JUDGE KUMASI EX-PARTE: HANSEN KWADWO KODUAH [2015]DLSC3233

Date	2015-06-04
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. J5/10/2015
Citation No.	[2015]DLSC3233

ANSAH JSC (PRESIDING)

ANIN YEBOAH JSC

BAFFOE-BONNIE JSC

GBADEGBE JSC

AKOTO-BAMFO (MRS) JSC

STEPHEN ALEWABA ESQ. FOR THE APPLICANT.

KWASI AFRIFA ESQ. FOR THE INTERESTED PARTY.

[2015]DLSC3233
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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, JUDGE KUMASI<o:p></o:p>EX-PARTE: HANSEN KWADWO KODUAH<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;[SUPREME COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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CIVIL APPEAL NO. J5/10/2015&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;
DATE: 4TH
JUNE, 2015<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>STEPHEN ALEWABA ESQ. FOR THE APPLICANT.<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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KWASI AFRIFA ESQ. FOR THE INTERESTED PARTY.<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM: <o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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ANSAH JSC (PRESIDING), ANIN YEBOAH JSC,
BAFFOE-BONNIE JSC, GBADEGBE JSC, 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;
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JUDGEMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>AKOTO-BAMFO
JSC.:-<o:p></o:p>On the 19th of
January 2015, Adzagli J sitting at the High Court in Kumasi, in giving a ruling
in a motion on notice for an order committing for contempt the applicant herein
and I other, delivered himself thus:<o:p></o:p>“If it is for the sake of monetary
gain that the 1st Respondent went beyond his professional duties to
commit such grave contemptuous acts, it will be the unpleasant duty of this
Court to deny him the fruits of that unlawful venture to serve as a deterrent.
For this reason the Respondents are each sentenced to a fine of GH¢50,000.00 or in default 3 months
imprisonment each.<o:p></o:p>I further order the Respondents to
return all the machinery the subject matter of the preservation order to the
place of preservation within 2 weeks if this has not already been done or pay
the sum of GHC 1,500,000.00 being the cost of the said machinery.”<o:p></o:p>The applicant registered
his protest against the orders of the High&nbsp;
Court by promptly filing, firstly, a Notice of Appeal and secondly the
application under consideration under article 132 of the 1992 Constitution and
Rule 61(1)of CI.16, the Supreme Court Rules; praying for an order of certiorari
directed at Adzagli J Kumasi for the purposes of quashing the said ruling in
suit no C12/304/2013 and for a further order restraining the learned Judge from
the further&nbsp; hearing of the matters
arising from his ruling, he additionally prayed this court for an order of stay
of proceedings.<o:p></o:p>The grounds upon which the
application rested are set out in a 5 paragraphed Statement as follows:<o:p></o:p>GROUNDS FOR THE
APPLICATION<o:p></o:p>1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The
trial judge committed very significant/fundamental, material, grave and serious
non-jurisdictional errors of law patent on the face of the record which are so
plain as to make the impugned decision a complete nullity, and which has
resulted in a miscarriage of justice to the applicant.<o:p></o:p>2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The
conviction and sentence of the applicant by the trial Judge contravened the
Waynesburg legal principles of unreasonableness, irrationality and
unconscionability.<o:p></o:p>3.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The
trial high court judge in the exercise of his discretionary jurisdiction
committed gross breaches/violations and abuses of article 296 (a) and (b) of
the 1992 Constitution when he acted arbitrarily, capriciously biased, personal
dislike, unfair and without candor in his contempt ruling dated the 15th
day of January, 2015.<o:p></o:p>