GALAXY OIL GHANA LTD vs. MIDWEST CONTRACT WORKS LTD AND GODFRED KWEKU ANDOH [2017]DLHC7543

Date	2017-10-23
Suit No.	SUIT NO. RPC/59/2014
Citation No.	[2017]DLHC7543

HIS LORDSHIP JUSTICE JEROME NOBLE-NKRUMAH JUSTICE OF THE HIGH COURT

PHILLIP ANDERSON FOR THE PLAINTIFF

[2017]DLHC7543
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >GALAXY OIL
GHANA LTD<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>MIDWEST CONTRACT WORKS LTD AND GODFRED KWEKU ANDOH<o:p></o:p>[HIGH COURT (COMMERRCIAL 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/59/2014&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &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: 23RD OCTOBER, 2017<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:
<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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PHILLIP
ANDERSON FOR THE PLAINTIFF&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&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>

</div>CORAM: <o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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HIS
LORDSHIP JUSTICE JEROME NOBLE-NKRUMAH JUSTICE OF THE HIGH COURT<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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</div>By an agreement, the plaintiff supplied
the 1st defendant with petroleum products and lubricants on a 30 day
credit arrangement between December 2011 and March 2013. In the course of this
relationship the 1st defendant has come to owe the plaintiff the
amount of GHC 455,641.52. Consequently the plaintiff has sued the defendants
claiming as follows:<o:p></o:p>1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
An
order for the recovery of GHc 455,641.52 being the outstanding debt owed to the
plaintiff as at 29th November ,2013 rising from petroleum products
supplied&nbsp; to the defendants<o:p></o:p>2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Interest
in this amount of GCH 455,641.52 calculated at the prevailing commercial rate
from 30th November 2013 till date of final payment<o:p></o:p>3.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Costs
of instituting action<o:p></o:p>Before I move on I will deal the
situation of the 2nd defendant. He is described by the plaintiff as
the managing director of the 1st defendant who at all times material
brokered the transactions with the plaintiff. This calls to focus the legal
personality of the 1st defendant. It has its own legal existence
with all the powers of a natural person, artificial though and consequently it
has to act through human beings. That is exactly the role 2nd defendant
played. Until the plaintiff can point to some act by the 2nd
defendant which took him out of this purview and procured for him personal
liability, then the 2nd defendant ought not to be added to this
suit. Judging from the defendant’s cross-examination of the plaintiff’s witness,
the 1st defendant was sued in addition because he was basically the
face of the 1st defendant. Product was supplied to 1st
defendant, 2nd defendant issued 1st defendants cheques, simple!
Counsel for the defendants has dealt with this in his address and I will not
dwell so much on this. Preliminarily, the 2nd defendant was improperly
joined to this suit and consequently I will proceed against the first defendant
only [see MORKOR V KUMA (1998-1999) 2 SCGLR620]<o:p></o:p>Plaintiff in support of its claim has
tendered 5 invoices<o:p></o:p>1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Exhibit
G3, dated 27/2/13 for the amount of GHc65,151.45 [0022447]<o:p></o:p>2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp</main>