PAUL OTCHERE & 14 ORS AND MRS. VERONICA SARHENE/ MRS. MARY ATTA SIAW vs. EDWARD NASSER & CO. LTD. [2016]DLCA4954

PAUL OTCHERE & 14 ORS AND MRS. VERONICA SARHENE/ MRS. MARY ATTA SIAW vs. EDWAR... [2016]DLCA4954

Date	2016-10-19
Suit No.	SUIT NO.: H1/28/2016
Citation No.	[2016]DLCA4954

AYEBI J.A. (PRESIDING)

TORKORNOO (MRS) J. A.

DOMAKYAAREH (MRS) J.A.

MUJEED RAHMAN AHMED FOR CO-DEFENDANTS/APPELLANTS

PAUL ADU GYEMFI AND KWAME ADOM APPIAH FOR DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT

[2016]DLCA4954
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >PAUL OTCHERE &amp; 14 ORS<o:p></o:p>(CO - DEFENDANTS/APPELLANTS)<o:p></o:p>AND MRS. VERONICA SARHENE/ MRS. MARY ATTA SIAW<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFFS/RESPONDENTS)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>EDWARD NASSER &amp; CO. LTD.<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>[COURT
OF APPEAL, KUMASI]<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">

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>MUJEED RAHMAN AHMED FOR
CO-DEFENDANTS/APPELLANTS<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">

PAUL ADU GYEMFI AND KWAME ADOM APPIAH
FOR DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:<o:p></o:p>AYEBI
J.A. (PRESIDING), TORKORNOO (MRS) J. A., DOMAKYAAREH (MRS) J.A.<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border-top:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
border-left:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;border-right:none;
padding:1.0pt 0in 1.0pt 0in">

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%;
border:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;mso-border-bottom-alt:
solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0in 1.0pt 0in">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>TORKORNOO
(MRS), J.A.<o:p></o:p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">The forest of contentions and
proceedings that have lasted eighteen years and cover Seven Hundred and
Ninety-three (793) pages of appeal records in this case can all be rested under
one tree. This is the question whether the Co-Defendants/Appellants (hereafter
referred to as Appellants) have any enforceable rights in contract or equity to
merit a declaration that they are the owners in possession of Plot Nos. 125 and
136 in the OTB layout of Kumasi (hereafter referred to as the property) And the
answer is a resounding no. This is the conclusion the learned trial judge came
to in his judgment delivered after reviewing all the pleadings, exhibits and
testimonies. This is the judgment we also come to after reviewing the Record of
Appeal (ROA). And we have clarified this decision very early in this judgment,
because like the trial judge, we find this litigation to have been an extremely
unfortunate one, totally unsupported by any arena of law, and clearly sustained
by misguided notions about rules of evidence, the law of contract, the law of
immovable property, and company law.<o:p></o:p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">According to the Statement of Claim,
the Plaintiffs/Respondents (hereafter referred to as Plaintiffs and the Defendant/Respondent
(hereafter referred to as Defendant) signed an Agreement dated 11th
February 1998 for the Plaintiffs to purchase the Defendant’s interests in the
property. The Lands Commission, administrators of the property on behalf of the
owner – Government of Ghana – gave its Consent to this transaction on 29th
April 1998. The Defendant acting by its Chief Executive called Edward Nassar
executed a Deed of Assignment in favour of the Plaintiffs.<o:p></o:p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">The Plaintiffs registered the
Agreement with the Lands Registry on 2nd September 1998 under Title
No 249 and Serial Number 545/98. The acts left to perfect the Plaintiffs
interests in the property were for the original 2nd and 3rd Defendants
in the High Court suit (now deceased) who were the Director and General Manager
of the Defendant’s Company respectively, to affix the Seal of the Defendant to
the Deed of Assignment and for the Appellants who were tenants of the Defendant,
to attorn tenancy to the Plaintiffs as new owners. This is when things started
to unravel. The 2nd and 3rd Defendants failed to affix
the Seal to the Deed of Assignment and the Appellants refused to acknowledge
the Plaintiffs as purchasers of the Defendant’s interest in the building. So
the Plaintiffs sued the Defendants for the following reliefs in their Amended
Statement of Claim<o:p></o:p><ol style="margin-top:0in" start="1" type="a">
 <li class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align:justify;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
 mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
 mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Specific
 performance of the contract for the sale of the property known as Plot
 Nos. 125 and 136 in the OTB layout of Kumasi by the 1st Defendant
 unto the Plaintiffs.<o:p></o:p></li>
</ol><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;
font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:
minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><ol style="margin-top:0in" start="2" type="a">
 <li class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align:justify;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
 mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
 mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">An order
 by the Honourable Court to compel the 2nd and 3rd Defendants
 to produce the Official Company Seal of the 1st Defendant in
 order to Seal the Deed of Assignment executed on behalf of the 1st
 Defendant by Mr. Edward Nassar, the Chairman and Chief Executive of the 1st
 Defendant pursuant to the Agreement.<o:p></o:p></li>
</ol>