MRS VINCENTIA MENSAH vs. NUMO ADJEI KWANKO II [2017]DLSC5600

Date	2017-06-14
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO.J4/17/2016
Citation No.	[2017]DLSC5600

AKUFFO (MS) JSC PRESIDING

ANSAH JSC

ADINYIRA (MRS) JSC

DOTSE JSC

YEBOAH JSC

THADDEUS SORY FOR THE PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT/APPELLANT.

KWAME FOSU-GYEABOUR FOR THE DEFENDANT/APPELLANT/RESPONDENT.

<p class="mb-5" id="contentDlCitation"  hidden>[2017]DLSC5600</p>
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<p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;
color:#00B0F0;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">MRS VINCENTIA MENSAH<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">(</span></i><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT/APPELLANT</span></i><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">[SUPREME COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">CIVIL
APPEAL NO.J4/17/2016&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; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 14<sup>TH</sup>JUNE, 2017<o:p></o:p></span></p>

</div>

</div><p>

</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">THADDEUS
SORY FOR THE PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT/APPELLANT.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

</div><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt;mso-add-space:auto;
text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">CORAM:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt;mso-add-space:auto;
text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">AKUFFO
(MS) JSC PRESIDING, ANSAH JSC, ADINYIRA (MRS) JSC, DOTSE JSC, YEBOAH JSC<o:p></o:p></span></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 0in 1.0pt 0in">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;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"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><b><u><span style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">YEBOAH,
JSC:-<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">The Plaintiff/Respondent/Appellant herein (who
shall be simply be referred to as the Appellant) commenced an action at the
High Court, Accra for a declaration of title to a piece or parcel of land at Baatsonaa
Station, North of Teshie and other ancillary reliefs against the Defendant/Appellant/Respondent
herein (who shall for sake of brevity be referred to as the Respondent) in this
appeal. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">The facts of this case appeared not to be
seriously controverted at the trial court and at the Court of Appeal. The suit
was originally instituted by the Appellant per her lawful attorneys Sampson
Okai Adjetey and John Allen, against the Respondent herein and one other in the
person of Nii Nortey Adjeifio as the second defendant but before the case could
proceed to trial, the trial court on 10/03/2005 struck off the said Nii Nortey
Adjeifio with the consent of counsel for the parties. The case thus proceeded
for trial on the same day between the two parties herein.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">The Appellant in her statement of claim had
pleaded that the land in dispute was conveyed by a deed dated 24/11/1959 and
same registered at the Deeds Registry as No. 1335/1960 from one <b>Nii Okang Nmashie III, the Mankralo of
Teshie</b> and occupant of the Mankralo stool at the time, with the consent and
knowledge of the principal elders and councilors of the said stool in
accordance with the customary law, to one Sardis Noah Adjetey and his heirs and
personal representatives. According to the Appellant, after the grant the
grantees enjoyed peaceful possession of the land free from all encumbrances. It
was averred in the Statement of Claim that prior to the Conveyance by the
Mankralo, the stool had control over the land in dispute and had the authority
to convey the land to the said Sardis Noah Adjetey. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">The Respondent was at the time material to the
commencement of this action the head of the Kle-Musum Quarter and the Tsei We
family of Teshie. He claimed that the land in dispute falls within Kle-Musum
Quarter lands as contained in a Statutory Declaration dated 25/07/1965 and
registered as L.R 1332/1965 and that by virtue of the fact that the appellant’s
grantor did not own the land in dispute he had no title to convey and
consequently the alleged grant to the predecessor of the appellant was void for
want of title. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">It was further averred by the Respondent that the
land in dispute was also outside the Krobo Quarter land. The Respondent in
resisting the claim of the appellant, contended that his family has been in
undisturbed possession of their lands including the one in dispute since the
original settlement dating back in the 16<sup>th</sup> Century. <b>He therefore proceeded to lodge a
counterclaim for a declaration of title to the land in dispute, damages for
trespass and for an order to annul the grant allegedly made to the appellant’s
predecessor and perpetual injunction restraining the appellant and her privies,
etc from entering the land in dispute.<o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">The learned trial judge at the High Court, Accra
entered judgment against the Respondent who appealed to the Court of Appeal for
reversal of the trial judge’s judgment. The Court of Appeal on 12/3/2015 reversed
the judgment, and granted the Respondent’s Counterclaim after evaluating the
evidence and dismissing the claim of the Appellant. The Appellant has lodged
this appeal before this Court, seeking the reversal of the judgment of the
Court of Appeal. Before this Court, the Appellant has filed several grounds of
appeal stated in the notice of appeal thus:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:1.0in;
margin-bottom:10.0pt;margin-left:67.5pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;
text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-indent:-67.5pt;mso-text-indent-alt:-31.5pt;
mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;</main>