MRS CECILIA ADJEI-AWUAH vs. KOW FOLI [2017]DLCA5597

Date	2017-10-19
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO: H1/215/2015
Citation No.	[2017]DLCA5597

S. MARFUL-SAU JA (PRESIDING)

B. F. ACKAH-YENSU (MS) JA

M. M. AGYEMANG (MRS.) JA

MR. CECIL ADASI FOR DEFENDANT / APPELLANT

MR. CORNELIUS B. VITO FOR PLAINTIFF / RESPONDENT

[2017]DLCA5597
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >MRS
CECILIA ADJEI-AWUAH<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF
/ RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>KOW
FOLI<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT / APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>[COURT OF APPEAL (CIVIL DIVISION), ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
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solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">CIVIL APPEAL NO: H1/215/2015&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:
19TH OCTOBER, 2017<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>MR. CECIL ADASI
FOR DEFENDANT / APPELLANT<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
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padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">MR.
CORNELIUS B. VITO FOR PLAINTIFF / RESPONDENT <o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM: <o:p></o:p>S. MARFUL-SAU JA (PRESIDING), B. F. ACKAH-YENSU (MS) JA, M. M. AGYEMANG
(MRS.) JA<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border-top:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
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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>AGYEMANG JA:<o:p></o:p>In this appeal against
the judgment of the High Court (Land Division) Accra, delivered on the 21st
day of February 2013, the defendant /appellant (alternately referred to as the
defendant, or the appellant) prays that the judgment of the court below, and
all consequential orders therein, as well as costs, be set aside and that judgment
be entered in his favour.<o:p></o:p>These are the matters that have given rise to the
instant appeal.<o:p></o:p>By an amended Statement of Claim, the plaintiff/respondent
(referred to alternately as the plaintiff, or the respondent) made the
following claims against the appellant at the court below: anorder restraining
the appellant from renting out the “first store to the right on approaching the
gate of, and in House No. B267/25”, and a further order directing the appellant
to put the respondent into the store until the expiration of the respondent’s
term in 2008;<o:p></o:p>The respondent sought in the alternative, an order
for the refund of the ¢28,000,000 being the outstanding amount the appellant
allegedly owed to the respondent and her husband; interest on the said sum at
the commercial rate from 15th January 2005 to the date of final
payment; and damages for breach of contract.<o:p></o:p>It was the case of the plaintiff in pleading, that she
and her husband entered into an agreement with the defendant for the rental of
a specific store described herein, from 1999 until 2004, and that the sum of ¢28,000,000
was paid by them after which they were put in possession. It was her further
pleading that in 2003, before the expiration of the term, she was put out of
the store by the defendant who announced that he needed to renovate it. She was
in consequence placed in a smaller store to await the completion of the
renovation works. According to the plaintiff, upon the strength of that
promise, she and her husband entered into another agreement with the defendant
for the rental of the bigger store for a five-year term: 2004 to 2009.<o:p></o:p>The plaintiff claimed she was never placed in that
store the subject of the agreement despite repeated requests. She therefore
decidedto seek redress at the Rent Control Office, and then at the court below
when that outfit was unable to resolve their differences.<o:p></o:p>These matters, save the receipt of the sum of ¢28,
000,000, were denied by the defendant who maintained that although the tenancy
agreement had been with the plaintiff’s husband and not the plaintiff, that he
in fact placed the respondent back in possession of the bigger store when he
completed the works for which he put her out of the store, and that the
plaintiff occupied that store until she allegedly returned the keys of the
store to him fifteen months later. The defendant alleged that the plaintiff in
doing this, informed him that her business was not doing well, and asked for a refund
of the rent advance paid.<o:p></o:p>At the close of hearing, the learned trial judge
entered judgment for the plaintiff for the refund of GH¢2,800(being the
equivalent of ¢28,000,000), as well as the payment of interest on the said sum
at the Bank of Ghana interest rate from 1st January 2006 to the date
of final payment, and damages for breach of contract in the sum of GH¢3,000.<o:p></o:p>It is against the said judgment that the instant
appeal has been brought.<o:p></o:p>The defendant set out five grounds of appeal which
we reproduce at length:<o:p></o:p>a)