AJ FANJ CONSTRUCTION LIMITED vs. WEST AFRICA QUARRIES LIMITED AND IN THE MATTER OF AN APPLICATION FOR DETERMINATION OF A PRELIMINARY POINT OF LAW UNDER SECTION 40 OF THE ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION ACT, 2010 (ACT 798) REGARDING THE JOINDER OF GHACEM LIMITED TO THE ARBITRATION AS A NON-SIGNATORY PARTY [2017]DLHC2071

AJ FANJ CONSTRUCTION LIMITED vs. WEST AFRICA QUARRIES LIMITED AND IN THE MATTER... [2017]DLHC2071

Date	2017-12-21
Suit No.	SUIT NO.: MISC/0184/17
Citation No.	[2017]DLHC2071

SAMUEL K. A. ASIEDU J

MR. KWAME ADOBOR FOR THE RESPONDENT WITH HIM ABIGAIL TETTEH

MR. M. GYAN OWUSU FOR THE APPLICANT WITH HIM OSCAR FORDJOUR

MR. EDMUND DIAMOND ADDO FOR Y. KULENDI FOR THE NON SIGNATORY

[2017]DLHC2071
																																						<div class="restriction-wrapper">
														<div class="container-lg">
															<div class="row">
																<div class="col-md-12 restricted-content">
																	<div class="restricted-content-img-wrapper">
																		<div class="lock-icon bounce-7">
																			<img class=""
																				src="https://www.dennislawgh.com/dl-assets/dl-images/lock-content.png"
																				alt="Subscription based content">
																		</div>
																	</div>
																	 
																		<a href="https://www.dennislawgh.com/login"
																		class="btn btn-primary btn-lg"
																		style="font-family: 'open sans'; text-transform: capitalize; border-radius: 8px"> 
																		Login to Read Full Case </a>
																	 
																	
																</div>
															</div>
														</div>
													</div>
													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >AJ FANJ CONSTRUCTION LIMITED<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>WEST AFRICA QUARRIES LIMITED<o:p></o:p>AND <o:p></o:p>IN THE MATTER OF AN
APPLICATION FOR DETERMINATION OF A PRELIMINARY POINT OF LAW UNDER SECTION 40 OF
THE ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION ACT, 2010 (ACT 798) REGARDING THE JOINDER OF
GHACEM LIMITED TO THE ARBITRATION AS A NON-SIGNATORY PARTY<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>[HIGH COURT (COMMERCIAL DIVISION), ACCRA]<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

SUIT
NO.: MISC/0184/17&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: 21ST
DECEMBER, 2017<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>MR.
KWAME ADOBOR FOR THE RESPONDENT WITH HIM ABIGAIL TETTEH<o:p></o:p>MR.
M. GYAN OWUSU FOR THE APPLICANT WITH HIM OSCAR FORDJOUR <o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

</div>CORAM: <o:p></o:p>HIS
LORDSHIP SAMUEL K. A. ASIEDU, J.<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border-top:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
border-left:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;border-right:none;
padding:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;border:none;
mso-border-top-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>By
an originating motion on notice filed on the 19th October 2017, the
applicant herein, AJ Fanj Construction Limited, seeks an order of this court to
join Ghacem Limited as a party to proceedings currently pending before an
arbitrator. The parties to the arbitral proceedings are the applicant and West
Africa Quarries Limited. The parties to the instant application have filed and
rely on their affidavit in support of and in opposition to the application as
well as supplementary affidavits.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The
application is premised on Order 19 rule 1(2) of the High Court (Civil
Procedure) Rules, 2004, CI 47 and also on section 40 of the Alternative Dispute
Resolution Act, 2010, Act 798. Order 19 rule 1 sub-rule 2 of CI 47 provides
that <o:p></o:p>(2) Proceedings by
which an application is to be made to the Court or a Judge of the Court under
any enactment shall be initiated by motion and where an enactment provides that
an application shall be made by some other means, an application by motion
shall be deemed to satisfy the provision of the enactment as to the making of
the application<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>It
is also provided in section 40(1) of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Act
that: <o:p></o:p>40. (1) Unless
otherwise agreed by the parties, the High Court may, on an application on
notice to the other party by a party to arbitral proceedings, determine any
question of law that arises in the course of the proceedings if the Court is
satisfied that the question substantially affects the rights of the other party.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>It
is on the strength of these provisions that the applicant has invoked the
jurisdiction of this court to join Ghacem as a necessary party to the
arbitration proceedings which is currently pending before an arbitrator between
the applicant and West African Quarry Limited. <o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>Ghacem
is opposed to the instant application on many grounds. First, Ghacem says that
the jurisdiction of this court has not been properly invoked by the applicant
in view of the absence of any point of law, in the application, for resolution
by the court. It has been argued on behalf of Ghacem that the formulation of
the issue by the applicant is so general that it has no relevance to the
arbitral proceedings. Counsel says the issue as formulated is academic,
impractical and novel and that it is of no juridical utility.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>Within
the body of the motion, the court h</main>