SUMMABE PLANT LTD. vs. MINERALS COMMISSION AND 3 OTHERS [2016]DLCA5231

Date	2016-04-27
Suit No.	SUIT NO: H1/06/2014
Citation No.	[2016]DLCA5231

ADJEI JA – PRESIDING

SOWAH JA

MENSAH JA

[2016]DLCA5231
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >SUMMABE PLANT LTD.<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>MINERALS COMMISSION AND 3 OTHERS<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANTS/RESPONDENTS)<o:p></o:p>[COURT
OF APPEAL, KOFORIDUA]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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SUIT NO: H1/06/2014&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; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; DATE: 27TH APRIL, 2016<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>ADJEI JA – PRESIDING, SOWAH JA, MENSAH JA<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border-top:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%;
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solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0in 1.0pt 0in">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>ADJEI,
J.A:<o:p></o:p>The Plaintiff/Appellant
herein instituted the action which has culminated to this interlocutory appeal
in the High Court Koforidua seeking for the following reliefs against the Defendants/Respondents
herein. <o:p></o:p>“a.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; An
order setting aside the Honourable Minister for Lands and Natural Resources
letter of March 18, 2014 on grounds of gargantuan fraud.<o:p></o:p>b.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; An order setting aside the 4th defendant’s
application for the Sedorm concession or Quary License with application No.
0000000517 dated June 11, 2014 and supported by the chief Director of the 3rd
defendant on grounds of fraud and in clear contravention of all relevant
legislations.<o:p></o:p>c.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; An order of the Court directed at the 1st
defendants Chief Executive Officer to disregard the Chief Director of 3rd
defendants minutes of June 12, 2014 to process the plaintiff’s concession for
the 4th defendant.<o:p></o:p>d.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A declaration that the Sedorm concession is the legally acquired
property of the plaintiff, a fact which is known to all the defendants.<o:p></o:p>e.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; An order of injunction of a permanent nature directed at
the defendants from interfering with the plaintiff’s rights to the said Sedorm
concession and particularly from approving and allocating same to the 4th
defendant.<o:p></o:p>f.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; An order directed at the 1st, 2nd and
3rd defendants to renew the plaintiff’s concession aforesaid and
grant it the relevant permits upon the payment of all statutory fees.<o:p></o:p>g.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; An order directed at the 1st defendants to
expunge from their records the 4th defendants’ application for quarry license
dated June 11, 2014 and also to delete the name of the 4th Defendant
from the Minerals Cadastral map and replace it with the name of the plaintiff
as was previously the case.<o:p></o:p>h.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A further order directed at the 3rd defendant to
expunge from its record its letter of March 18, 2014 addressed to the Chief
Executive Officer, Mineral Commission, and Accra and referred to in paragraph
27 supra.<o:p></o:p>i.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A further order directed at the 1st-3rd
Defendants to expunge from their records any letter, document, map etc.
purported to have been delivered or sent to them by the 4th defendant
and all documentary records and references to the 1st-3rd
defendants by the 4th defendants that purport to confer, accord,
recognize or in any manner acknowledge any interest of the 4th
defendant in respect of the Sedorm concession, which is the property of the
plaintiff and the subject of an exist Mining lease.<o:p></o:p>j.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; General damages and costs.<o:p></o:p>k.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Further or any other order that the Honourable court may
deem fit”.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The brief facts of the
Plaintiff’s claim is that it acquired a mining lease from the Government of Ghana
on 27th October, 2008 for an initial period of five years subject to
a further period of five years upon expiration. When the lease was about to
expire, it applied for renewal and same was refused. The 2nd
Defendant a statutory body mandated by law to oversee, co-ordinate and regulate
all environmental issues in Ghana on 7th November,2008 issued a permit
to the Plaintiff to undertake mining activity in the concession granted to it
by the government of Ghana. The permit which had eighteen (18) months duration
expired in May, 2010. According to the 2nd Defendant, the Plaintiff
failed to make use of the permit within the 18 months and therefore became
invalid. The 2nd Defendant averred that it refused to review the
permit for the Plaintiff after it had become invalid due to the negative effect
the mining operations may have on the Volta Lake.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The 3rd
Defendant also averred that the mining lease it granted to the Plaintiff was a
restricted mining lease and it expired on 26th Octo</main>