KGMTI vs. SERVISTAR-MINWAX W. A. LTD [2016]DLHC3591

Date	2016-07-13
Suit No.	SUIT NO.RPC/230/2014
Citation No.	[2016]DLHC3591

HIS LORDSHIP ERIC KYEI BAFFOUR JUSTICE OF THE HIGH COURT

<p class="mb-5" id="contentDlCitation"  hidden>[2016]DLHC3591</p>
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: center; line-height: 15.55pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><a name="OLE_LINK1"><b><span lang="en-GH" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:
&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;color:#00B0F0;
mso-fareast-language:#0C00">KGMTI</span></b></a><span lang="en-GH" style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: center; line-height: 15.55pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span lang="en-GH" style="font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;color:#00B0F0;mso-fareast-language:#0C00">vs.</span></b><span lang="en-GH" style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: center; line-height: 15.55pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;color:#00B0F0;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;
mso-fareast-language:#0C00">SERVISTAR-MINWAX W. A. LTD</span></b><span lang="en-GH" style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: center; line-height: 15.55pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">[HIGH COURT (COMMERCIAL DIVISION), ACCRA]</span><span lang="en-GH" style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom: 1.5pt solid windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">

</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; line-height: 15.55pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span lang="en-GH" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">CORAM:</span></b><span lang="en-GH" style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; line-height: 15.55pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span lang="en-GH" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">HIS LORDSHIP ERIC KYEI BAFFOUR JUSTICE
OF THE HIGH COURT<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="border-top: 1.5pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-bottom: 1.5pt solid windowtext; border-right: none; padding: 1pt 0cm; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; line-height: 15.55pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; border: none; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, serif;">&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;
</span><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">RULING<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 15.55pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span lang="en-GH" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">The
Plaintiff/Applicant prays the court for leave to issue subpoena ad
testificandum directed at the Commissioner of Customs Division of the Ghana
Revenue Authority to appear before the court to testify on the status of
certain shipping containers which were consigned by the plaintiff to the
defendant for delivery to the port of Tema.</span><span lang="en-GH" style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 15.55pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span lang="en-GH" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">&nbsp;</span><span lang="en-GH" style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 15.55pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span lang="en-GH" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">Though the applicant
did not indicate during the case management conference and the on pretrial
checklist that he intended to call the Commissioner of Customs or its
representative to testify. The reason the applicant proffer is that it has
become apparent in the course of the trial that the Commissioner appears as a
witness in order for the court to be conversant with the full facts of the case
and hence the need for the grant of the leave he seeks for the court to be
appraised of the fate of the containers which were seized and auctioned by the
Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authiritt for accumulated demurrage
charges.</span><span lang="en-GH" style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 15.55pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span lang="en-GH" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">&nbsp;</span><span lang="en-GH" style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 15.55pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span lang="en-GH" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">Defendant has
ardently opposed the application on the grounds that the applicant has not
disclosed any special or exceptional circumstances that warrant the grant of
the application. To defendant, pleadings have closed, they have all filed their
respective witness statements and plaintiff is on the verge of closing its
case. That again, plaintiff never indicated during the pretrial conference that
plaintiff will call the Commissioner of Customs as a witness in the suit. And
as it was not indicated by plaintiff, it shows that the witness plaintiff
intended to subpoen had not been seen by plaintiff as a material witness.</span><span lang="en-GH" style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 15.55pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span lang="en-GH" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">&nbsp;</span><span lang="en-GH" style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 15.55pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span lang="en-GH" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">It is stated under
Rule 3D of Order 38 of the High Court (Civil procedure Rules) C.I 47 as amended
by the Civil procedure (Amendment) Rules, C.I. 87 that:<br>
<i>“Where a witness statement for use at the trial is not served in respect of
an intended witness within the time specified by the Court, the witness shall
not give oral evidence unless the Court grants leave”</i></span><span lang="en-GH" style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 15.55pt; background-image: initial; background-position: </main>