OBAATANPA COMPANY LTD vs. IDEAL CAPITAL PARTNERS LTD [2017]DLHC3325

Date	2017-02-08
Suit No.	SUIT NO. RPC/51/2015
Citation No.	[2017]DLHC3325

ERIC K. BAFFOUR ESQ. JUSTICE OF THE HIGH COURT

[2017]DLHC3325
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >OBAATANPA COMPANY LTD<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>IDEAL CAPITAL PARTNERS LTD<o:p></o:p>[HIGH COURT
(COMMERCIAL 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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SUIT NO.
RPC/51/2015&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; &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; 8TH FEBRUARY, 2017<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:<o:p></o:p>ERIC K. BAFFOUR ESQ. JUSTICE OF THE HIGH COURT<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;line-height:115%;
border:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;mso-border-bottom-alt:
solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0in 1.0pt 0in">RULING<o:p></o:p>

</div>Defendant/Applicant seeks by this motion an order for
accounts to be taken under Order 29 of the High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules,
C.I 47. To defendant the nature of the pleadings so far filed makes the taking
of accounts imperative as one the determinations to be made by the court is as
to whether plaintiff was still indebted to the defendant.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>Plaintiff/Respondent has resisted the application and
contends that the gravamen of his claim before the court is an allegation of
frustration of the contract and the grant of the application for accounts to be
taken would not cure the frustrated contract that he alleges.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>It is stated under Order 29 Rule 1 of the High Court
(Civil Procedure) Rules as follows:<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;line-height:115%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
mso-layout-grid-align:auto;punctuation-wrap:hanging;text-autospace:ideograph-numeric ideograph-other">1.
(1) Where a writ indorsed with a claim includes a claim for an account or a
claim which necessarily involves taking an account, the plaintiff may, at any
time after the defendant has filed appearance or after the time limited for
filing appearance apply for an order for account under this rule. …<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;line-height:115%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
mso-layout-grid-align:auto;punctuation-wrap:hanging;text-autospace:ideograph-numeric ideograph-other">(3)
On the hearing of the application the Court may, unless satisfied by the
defendant by affidavit or otherwise that there is some preliminary question to
be tried, order that an account be taken, and may also order that any amount
certified on taking the account to be due to either party be paid to that party
within a time specified in the order. <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;line-height:115%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
tab-stops:145.4pt;mso-layout-grid-align:auto;punctuation-wrap:hanging;
text-autospace:ideograph-numeric ideograph-other">&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; <o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 2. (1) The Court may, on an
application made at any stage in the cause or matter, direct any necessary
accounts to be taken <o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>It is quite clear that the court is imbued with the
power to order an account to be taken upon an application when it deems it
necessary. Plaintiff seeks to question the propriety of the whole agreement he
has with Defendant and claim that the gravamen of his claim is one of
frustration and hence he has nothing to do with accounts. However, the action
does not consist of only a claim by plaintiff but also a counter claim by defendant.
It is trite that a counterclaim is a separate, distinct and complete
independent action on its own that may not arise from even the claim of the
plaintiff. See <span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;mso-font-kerning:0pt;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;
mso-fareast-language:EN-US">OPANIN KWASI ASAMOAH v. KWADWO APPEA [2003-04]
SCGLR 226 at 246, JASS CO. LTD. &amp;ANOR. v. APPAU&amp;ANOR. [2009] SCGLR 269.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>In relief b of the counter claim defendant seeks for “an order of accounts to determine the
outstanding indebtedness of the plaintiff to the defendant”.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>Plaintiff may not be seeking anything in relation to
account at all but defendant seeks such relief in his counter claim. And
examination of the matters that may be set down for trial should not only be
looked at or examined solely from the lenses of the plaintiff. It is the case
of the defendant that loans taken by plaintiff has not been fully paid and
there was the need to reconcile accounts between the parties to know much
plaintiff still owed it notwithstanding monies paid so far.<o:p></o:p>The fact of a claim of frustration of the contract
being alleged by plaintiff for him to be discharged from any further
p</main>