JULIUS KWAKU OFORI vs. THEOPHILUS ANKAMA ARYEE [2016]DLCA5114

Date	2016-07-14
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. H1/121/2016
Citation No.	[2016]DLCA5114

OFOE JA (PRESIDING)

LARBI (MRS) JA

AGYEMANG (MRS.) JA

GEORGE AGBEKO FOR THE PLAINTIFF / APPELLANT

FELIX NANA OSEI FOR THE DEFENDANT /RESPONDENT

[2016]DLCA5114
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >JULIUS KWAKU OFORI <o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>THEOPHILUS ANKAMA ARYEE&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>[COURT OF APPEAL (CIVIL
APPEAL), ACCRA]<div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;
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text-indent:-.5in;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">CIVIL APPEAL NO. H1/121/2016&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>GEORGE
AGBEKO FOR THE PLAINTIFF / APPELLANT<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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FELIX
NANA OSEI FOR THE DEFENDANT /RESPONDENT<o:p></o:p>

OFOE
JA (PRESIDING), LARBI (MRS) JA, AGYEMANG (MRS.) JA<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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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
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</div>AGYEMANG,
JA:<o:p></o:p>In this appeal against the ruling of the High Court
(Land Division) Accra, the plaintiff/appellant (hereafter referred to alternately
as the plaintiff, or the appellant), seeks the setting aside of the ruling of
the learned trial judge, as well as the grant of an interlocutory injunction in
favour of the appellant against the defendant/respondent (hereafter referred to
alternately as the defendant, or the respondent).<o:p></o:p>The matters that have given rise to the appeal are
as follows:<o:p></o:p>The plaintiff commenced an action against the
defendant claiming inter alia, a declaration of title to “all that piece or
parcel of land situate, lying and being at Kwabenya Accra containing an
approximate area of 0.317 acres…”(was more particularly described and
delineated in a plan attached to the writ of summons); recovery of possession,
and damages for trespass.<o:p></o:p>After the parties filed their pleadings, the
plaintiff brought an application for an interlocutory injunction which was
strongly opposed by the defendant. The court below dismissed the application.
The reasons for the dismissal were that the capacity of the plaintiff’s grantor
was in issue, and furthermore, that certain persons 
(described as the joint heads of the Odai Ntow family) to whom the plaintiff’s
grantor traced his root of title, were not recorded in the books of the Lands
Commission as owners of the land in dispute. The learned trial judge went on to
say that in the circumstance, the court could not clothe the plaintiff with the
legal right to the land while the capacity of his grantors to alienate the land
was in dispute. <o:p></o:p>It is against the said ruling of the court below
that the present appeal has been brought.<o:p></o:p>The appellant filed two grounds of appeal which we
reproduce as follows:<o:p></o:p>“1. The ruling is against the weight of the
evidence;<o:p></o:p>2. The learned judge erred in law when he
determined the merits and the legal status of the suit in an interlocutory
application thereby occasioning a serious miscarriage of justice<o:p></o:p>Particulars of Error of 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:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
i.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
“The
learned judge erred in law when he held that the plaintiff’s lessors had no
capacity to lease the land to the plaintiff, without any evidence adduced by
the plaintiffs;<o:p></o:p></span</main>