MOHAMMED ODAYMART, FENROUZ ODAYMART AND IPMC LIMITED (PLAINTIFFS) vs. ANN BORTELEY BORQUAYE (DEFENDANT) [2017]DLHC7373

MOHAMMED ODAYMART, FENROUZ ODAYMART AND IPMC LIMITED (PLAINTIFFS) vs. ANN BORTEL... [2017]DLHC7373

Date	2017-01-27
Suit No.	SUIT NO.: CM/OCC/0744/2016
Citation No.	[2017]DLHC7373

HIS LORDSHIP SAMUEL K. A. ASIEDU J.

MS. LADY ERSKINE FOR MR. E. K. AMUA-SEKYI FOR THE PLAINTIFF/APPLICANT

MS. TEIKO SARBAH FOR MR. KWESI AUSTIN FOR THE DEFENDANT/ RESPONDENT

[2017]DLHC7373
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >MOHAMMED ODAYMART, FENROUZ ODAYMART AND IPMC LIMITED<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFFS)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>ANN BORTELEY BORQUAYE<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT)<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.: CM/OCC/0744/2016&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: 27TH JANUARY, 2017<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL: <o:p></o:p>MS. LADY ERSKINE FOR MR. E. K. AMUA-SEKYI FOR THE PLAINTIFF/APPLICANT <o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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MS. TEIKO SARBAH FOR MR. KWESI AUSTIN FOR THE
DEFENDANT/ RESPONDENT <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="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">RULING<o:p></o:p>

</div>Following the filing of a writ of summons in which
the plaintiffs sought against the defendant that:<o:p></o:p>(a)&nbsp;&nbsp; A declaration that the arbitral award made on the
23rd May 2016 is null and void.<o:p></o:p>(b)&nbsp;&nbsp; An order of injunction restraining the Defendant
whether by herself, her servants, agents, assigns, privies, etc from in any way
enforcing and/or executing any orders made pursuant to the arbitral award made
on the 23rd day of May 2016.<o:p></o:p>(c)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Any other orders that this Honourable Court may
deem just and fit in the circumstance.<o:p></o:p>Following an unsuccessful application to have the
writ struck out, the plaintiff/applicant moved a motion filed on the 3rd
November 2016 for an order to stay the judgment of the High Court dated the 27th
July 2016 pending the determination of the instant action against the
defendant/respondent.<o:p></o:p>The applicants have argued that if the execution of
the judgment is not stayed and the applicants emerge victorious from the
prosecution of the instant suit, it will be neigh impossible for the respondent
to refund the monies adjudged to be due the respondent under the said judgment.<o:p></o:p>The court finds from the affidavit evidence before
it that the applicants, particularly the 1st and the 2nd
applicants, are assignees of an expired 30 year lease from the respondent and
although the applicants have insisted on renewing the lease, they are opposed
to the payment of economic rent and wish to pay ground rent only for the reason
that they put up the premises on the land in question.<o:p></o:p>It is also on record that due partly to this
dispute, the applicants have for the past ten years not paid any rent to the
respondent herein with the result that the matter was submitted to arbitration
wherein the arbitrator made an award subject matter of the instant action.<o:p></o:p>Other grounds have been urged upon this court in
opposition to the application which, in the opinion of the court, are better
left for the substantive suit and for which reason the court deems it fit not
to discuss them in the instant application in order to avoid any tendency of a
prejudicial statement even before evidence is formally heard and considered. <o:p></o:p>Nonetheless it is important to place on record the
due weight in the deposition in paragraph 24 and to some extent paragraph 26 of
the affidavit in opposition wherein the respondent has deposed that:<o:p></o:p>24. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; No irreparable harm shall occasion the Applicants herein should
the Award and the Judgment of the court be enforced particularly as the
Applicants do not deny the non-payment of rent since 2006. It is the Defendant,
and the 5 beneficiaries of the property she represented, who have already been
denied rent for about 10 years, and who will suffer greater hardship if we are
denied rent for any further period.<o:p></o:p>