ANGLOGOLD ASHANTI LIMITED vs. CHARLES FOSU & 2 ORS [2018]DLCA4577

Date	2018-02-26
Suit No.	SUIT NO: H1/02/2018
Citation No.	[2018]DLCA4577

ADUAMA OSEI J.A. (PRESIDING)

DZAMEFE J. A.

WELBOURNE (MRS) J. A.

SMITH MBAKIMBEH FOR PLAINTIFFS/RESPONDENTS.

OSCAR KOFI JIMAH FOR DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT.

[2018]DLCA4577
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >ANGLOGOLD
ASHANTI LIMITED<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>CHARLES FOSU
&amp; 2 ORS<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFFS/RESPONDENTS)<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>[COURT OF APPEAL, KUMASI]<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: H1/02/2018&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &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: 26TH FEBRUARY, 2018<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>SMITH
MBAKIMBEH FOR PLAINTIFFS/RESPONDENTS.<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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OSCAR
KOFI JIMAH FOR DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT.<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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ADUAMA
OSEI J.A. (PRESIDING), DZAMEFE J. A., WELBOURNE (MRS) J. A.<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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JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:
Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">WELBOURNE,
JA<o:p></o:p>This is an interlocutory
appeal against the ruling of the High Court, Kumasi dated the 19th
day of December 2016, which dismissed the Defendant/Appellant’s application
praying the Honourable Court to dismiss on jurisdictional grounds the suit
filed by the Plaintiffs/Respondents. <o:p></o:p>In this appeal, the Plaintiffs/
Respondents will be described as Respondents and the Defendant/Applicant as Appellant.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>BRIEF FACTS: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&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>The Appellant is a mining
company whose operations are governed by the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act
703). The Respondents, one hundred and eighty-six (186) in number are farmers
based at Nhyiaeso and Apitikoko villages near Obuasi. In or around 2008/2009
the Respondents reported to the Appellant that its gold mining activities has
caused massive destruction on their cocoa and oil palm seedlings. The Respondents
in their statement of claim in paragraphs 12 and 13 stated that it took them
several months to get the Appellants to engage experts to undertake the
assessment and valuation which was finally concluded and documented on 22nd
December, 2011. The Respondents per paragraphs 41 and 43 of their statement of
claim described the way their very livelihood was destroyed and this had
affected their economic fortunes and thrown them into abject poverty.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>They further claimed that
the minimum lifespan of oil palm and cocoa is estimated to be fifteen and fifty
years respectively and that their entire future is dependent and inextricably
linked to these investments that they make. The Appellants on the other hand in
their statement of defence contended that it was a contractor who was engaged
by it to desilt the Kwabrafo River who destroyed crops which were at the
nurseries stage and not seedlings as alleged.<o:p></o:p>According to the Appellants
the “Form Fs” were incorrectly labelled seedlings instead of nurseries and were
kept for correction and thus not issued to the farmers (Respondents).<o:p></o:p>In their reply, the Respondents
were emphatic that the crops which were destroyed were expressly captured as
cocoa and oil palm seedlings and that their case had nothing to do with the
desilting of the Kwabrafo River, but rather it borders on Apitoso and Nhyiaeso
communities with the nearest river called Nyam.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;<o:p></o:p>Based on the report, a team made up
of the representatives of </main>