EDMUND OCANSEY vs. THE TENANT (JOYCE), NII LARYEA LARYEA AND CHERIE A. ANKRAH [2016]DLCA4652

Date	2016-07-14
Suit No.	CIVIL SUIT NO.H1/231/2014
Citation No.	[2016]DLCA4652

M. OWUSU (J.A.) – PRESIDING

DORDZIE (J.A.)

KWOFIE (J.A.)

MR. AHUMA OCANSEY FOR APPELLANT

MR. GEORGE GARDINER FOR RESPONDENT

[2016]DLCA4652
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >EDMUND OCANSEY<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>THE TENANT (JOYCE), NII
LARYEA LARYEA AND CHERIE A. ANKRAH<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT/RESPONDENTS)<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>[COURT OF APPEAL, 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 SUIT NO.H1/231/2014&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; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;DATE: 14TH
JULY, 2016<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>MR. AHUMA OCANSEY FOR
APPELLANT <o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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MR.
GEORGE GARDINER FOR RESPONDENT&nbsp;&nbsp; <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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M.
OWUSU (J.A.) – PRESIDING, DORDZIE (J.A.), KWOFIE (J.A.)<o:p></o:p>

</div> <div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>MARIAMA OWUSU, J.A.:<o:p></o:p>On the 24th day
of October, 2011, the High Court, Accra, dismissed the plaintiff’s suit against
the defendants.&nbsp; The Court held among
other things as follows:<o:p></o:p>“It is an elementary principle of law
known to all law students that the decisions of the Court of Appeal are binding
on the High Court and all lower Courts and I am precluded from hearing and
determining a matter that had already been decided by the Court of Appeal.<o:p></o:p>I will therefore answer the first
issue and say that this Court is not competent to determine this suit.<o:p></o:p>Order 33 rule 5 provides as follows:<o:p></o:p>“Where it appears to the Court that
the decision on any question or issue arising in any cause or matters and tried
separately from the main cause or matter substantially disposes of the cause or
matter or renders trial of the main cause or matter unnecessary, it may dismiss
the cause or matter or make such other order or give such judgment as may be
just.”<o:p></o:p>From the conclusions I have arrived at
on the issues set down for arguments in this suit especially the conclusion
that this Court is not competent to determine this suit in my view, renders the
trial of the main cause or matter unnecessary and accordingly I proceed to
dismiss this suit.<o:p></o:p>I award cost of one thousand Ghana
cedis (GH¢1,000.00) against the plaintiff in favour of the defendants.”<o:p></o:p>Dissatisfied with the
decision of the High Court, the
plaintiff appealed to the Court of Appeal on the following grounds:<o:p></o:p>1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
The
said judgment declined jurisdiction to enforce the rights of the applicant
herein to his property, contrary to article 140 (1) of the Constitution.<o:p></o:p>2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
The
said judgment based its decision on the wrong interpretation of constitutional
provisions, to wit; Article 107(a), 130 (1), 136(5), 129(3), without
considering 35(1) and 37 as they apply to another law, Confiscated Assets
(removal of doubts) Law, 1993 (PNDC Law 325).<o:p></o:p>3.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
The
trial court, having bee</main>