ERMINIO CANUTO & ANO. vs. B NTUMY AND 14 OTHERS CO. LTD & ORS. [2017]DLHC2073

Date	2017-12-08
Suit No.	CM/OCC/0316/17
Citation No.	[2017]DLHC2073

SAMUEL K. A. ASIEDU J.

MR. JOSEPH K. AMANKWA FOR MR. BABACAR BARRY FOR THE PLAINTIFF

[2017]DLHC2073
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >ERMINIO
CANUTO &amp; ANO.<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>B NTUMY AND
14 OTHERS CO. LTD &amp; ORS.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;[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;
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SUIT
NO.: CM/OCC/0316/17&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;DATE: 8TH
DECEMBER, 2017<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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MR.
JOSEPH K. AMANKWA FOR MR. BABACAR BARRY FOR THE PLAINTIFF <o:p></o:p>

</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;
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<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
a writ of summons issued on the 16th day of May 2017, the plaintiffs
claim against the defendants herein:<o:p></o:p>A declaration that
the share transfer agreements between John Founou (2nd Defendant)
and each of the Plaintiffs will be rescinded, null and void.<o:p></o:p>An order
restituting the equipment set out in paragraph 7 of the statement of claim to
the ownership and control of the Plaintiff.<o:p></o:p>Further
consequential orders as this Honourable Court may deem met.<o:p></o:p>General damages<o:p></o:p>Costs.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>After
the service of the writ and its accompanying statement of claim on the
defendants, albeit, by substituted service, the defendants failed to enter
appearance. The plaintiffs therefore applied for judgment in default of
appearance. In view, however, of the claims endorsed on the writ of summons,
the court after hearing the application decided to take evidence from the
plaintiffs before considering its judgment. The 2nd plaintiff
therefore gave evidence on oath before the court on the 27th
November 2017.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>From
the evidence on record, the court finds that the plaintiffs are businessmen
resident outside the Republic of Ghana. The court finds also that the 1st
defendant is a limited liability company incorporated in Ghana whilst the 2nd
and the 3rd defendants are shareholders and directors of the 1st
defendant company.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>There
is evidence on record that sometime in the year 2015 the 2nd and the
3rd defendants met the plaintiffs and informed the plaintiffs that
the 1st defendant company had secured several mining rights over a
number of goldmines in Ghana and that the 1st defendant company
needed injection of capital in the nature of equipment to enable it mine the
gold deposit in its concessions. The 2nd and the 3rd
defendants therefore invited the plaintiffs to consider investing in the 1st
defendant company in return for shares in the 1st defendant company.
<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>As
a result of the representations made to the plaintiffs by the defendants, the
plaintiff travelled to Lome and later to Ghana where the defendants took the
plaintiffs to a site in the Ashanti region to inspect same under the pretext
that that site was part of the mining concession granted the 1st
defendant company. Thereafter, the 2nd defendant purported to
transfer shares to the plaintiff in return for the plaintiff sending equipment
and machinery to the defendants. This is evidenced by exhibit A which was
executed in favour of the plaintiffs by the 2nd defendant herein.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The
court finds that as a</main>