WESTCHESTER RESOUCES LTD AND AFRICORE (GH) LTD. vs. ASHANTI GOLDFIELDS CO. LTD. [2015]DLSC3259

Date	2015-11-11
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. J4/63/2013
Citation No.	[2015]DLSC3259

ATUGUBA JSC (PRESIDING)

ADINYIRA (MRS) JSC

GBADEGBE JSC

BENIN JSC

AKAMBA JSC

OSAFO BUABENG ESQ. FOR THE PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT/APPELLANT.

YAW OPOKU ADJAYE ESQ. (WITH HIM A. A. SOMUAH ASAMOAH) FOR THE DEFENDANT/ RESPONDENT/ RESPONDENT.

[2015]DLSC3259
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >WESTCHESTER RESOUCES LTD AND
AFRICORE (GH) LTD.<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>ASHANTI
GOLDFIELDS CO. LTD.<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;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

CIVIL APPEAL NO. J4/63/2013&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: 11TH
NOVEMBER, 2015<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>OSAFO
BUABENG ESQ. FOR THE PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT/APPELLANT.<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">

&nbsp;YAW OPOKU ADJAYE ESQ. (WITH HIM A. A. SOMUAH
ASAMOAH) FOR THE DEFENDANT/ RESPONDENT/ RESPONDENT.<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;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

ATUGUBA JSC (PRESIDING), ADINYIRA (MRS) JSC,
GBADEGBE JSC, BENIN JSC, AND AKAMBA 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>ATUGUBA, JSC:- <o:p></o:p>FACTS<o:p></o:p>The facts that are germane to this appeal are that
the respondents sued the appellant in the High Court, Accra for damage for
breaches of a mining exploration agreement.&nbsp;
Pursuant to an arbitration clause in the said agreement the trial judge
Mrs. Dordzie J, upon application by the respondents, stayed the action and
referred the claims therein to arbitration.<o:p></o:p>For the purposes of the said arbitration the
respondents appointed professor Essien whilst the appellant appointed Nana Dr.
S.K.B. Asante as their respective arbitrators.&nbsp;
Subsequently Dr. Date-Bah JSC was nominated as umpire but the appellant,
through its solicitors objected that Dr. Date-Bah JSC, then a serving justice
of the Supreme Court of this country, could not properly be appointed as
umpire.&nbsp; Amidst the wrangling over Dr.
Date Bah’s status, Dr. Nana S.K.B. Asante resigned as arbitrator but the
appellant quickly replaced him with Mr. J.K. Agyemang.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The parties were also not ad idem as to the procedural rules to govern the arbitration.<o:p></o:p>In these circumstances and subsequent to
correspondence between the parties, the matter went back to the trial court for
determination at the respondents’ instance.&nbsp;
<o:p></o:p>In the course of the proceedings the consolidated
suits were struck out and never relisted before their final determination by
the trial court in favour of the respondents.<o:p></o:p>PRELIMINARY OBJECTIONS<o:p></o:p>Two preliminary objections have been taken in limine by the appellant to the whole
trial.<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:
0in;margin-left:.75in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;
text-indent:-.5in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">(a)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Case
Struck out<o:p></o:p>The appellant contends that inasmuch as the suits
were struck out and never relisted upon application, the whole trial is a
nullity which is not within the purview of the saving provisions of O.81 of the
High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2004 C.I.47. O.81 of C.I.47 is as follows:<o:p></o:p>“ORDER 81<o:p></o:p>Effect of Non-compliance with Rules<o:p></o:p>1.
Non-compliance with rules not to render proceedings void<o:p></o:</main>