GEORGE SACKEY vs THE DIRECTOR GHANA PORTS AND HARBOURS AUTHORITY [2016]DLHC16346

Date	2016-07-07
Suit No.	SUIT NO. HR/0069/2016
Citation No.	[2016]DLHC16346

HIS LORDSHIP ANTHONY K. YEBOAH J

AMON KOTIE ESQ

SANDRA OPOKU

[2016]DLHC16346
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><a name="_Hlk146980440"></a><a name="_Hlk146981432">GEORGE SACKEY<o:p></o:p></a>(APPLICANT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>THE DIRECTOR GHANA PORTS AND HARBOURS<o:p></o:p>AUTHORITY<o:p></o:p>(RESPONDENT)<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
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bold"><o:p></o:p>[HIGH COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;<div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">

SUIT NO. HR/0069/2016&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; DATE: 7TH &nbsp;JULY 2016<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL<o:p></o:p>AMON KOTIE ESQ, FOR APPLICANT <o:p></o:p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">

</div>CORAM<o:p></o:p>HIS
LORDSHIP ANTHONY K. YEBOAH J<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top-width: 1.5pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-left: none; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-right: none; padding: 1pt 0cm;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%;
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solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">RULING<o:p></o:p>

</div>&nbsp;By
the order of the High Court (Human Rights Division 1), Accra presided over by
His Lordship (Sir) Justice Dennis Agyei, J.A., three imported vehicles
belonging to the Applicant, George
Sackey were to be
released to the Applicant by the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue
Authority subject to the payment of all duties and taxes.<o:p></o:p>The
attempt by the Applicant to have the Commissioner of the Customs Division
comply with this order of the Court has provoked the present dispute. The
Applicant contends that the amount of demurrage being demanded by the Ghana
Ports and Harbours Authority (the Respondent herein) is not entirely legally
justifiable, but the Respondent disagrees. Accordingly, the Applicant has sued
the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority as the Respondent in this Court for “an order directed at the Respondents [sic] to waive
that part of the Demurrage that has been assessed as due and owed by the Applicant to the Respondent company [sic] due
to no fault of his…”<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;In
answering this suit, the Respondent contends that there is no legal requirement on the Respondent to waive the demurrage or any part of
it as the Respondent has
committed no tortious wrong or
contractual breach to warrant such a waiver of demurrage. It is, accordingly,
the view of the Respondent that the Applicant should be made to pay the
demurrage demanded and seek indemnity from the Customs Division of the Ghana
Revenue Authority and the Ghana Police Service as they are the relevant
institutions alleged to have caused the delay that gave rise to the demurrage.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;