EASTERN ALLOYS COMPANY LTD vs. NATIONAL INVESTMENT BANK [2018]DLCA4642

Date	2018-04-26
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO.H1/52/2018
Citation No.	[2018]DLCA4642

FRANCIS KUSI-APPIAH J.A. (PRESIDING)

AVRIL LOVELACE-JOHNSON J.A.

HENRY A. KWOFIE J.A.

K. O. LARBI FOR THE PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT

BRIGHT OKYERE ADJEKUM FOR THE DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT

[2018]DLCA4642
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >EASTERN ALLOYS COMPANY LTD<o:p></o:p>HEAVY INDUSTRIAL AREA TEMA<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFFS/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>vs<o:p></o:p>NATIONAL INVESTMENT BANK<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>COURT
OF APPEAL ACCRA<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">

CIVIL APPEAL NO. H1/52/2018&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;DATE: 26TH APRIL 2018<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>K. O. LARBI FOR THE PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; BRIGHT OKYERE ADJEKUM FOR THE
DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top-width: 1.5pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-left: none; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-right: none; padding: 1pt 0cm;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
115%;border:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;mso-border-bottom-alt:
solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">CORAM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;FRANCIS
KUSI-APPIAH J.A. (PRESIDING), AVRIL LOVELACE-JOHNSON J.A., HENRY A. KWOFIE J.A.<o:p></o:p>

</div><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;mso-border-between:1.5pt solid windowtext;
mso-padding-between:1.0pt">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>HENRY KWOFIE&nbsp;&nbsp;
J.A.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>On
the 21st of December 2016, the High Court, Accra found the
defendant/Respondent liable for the wrongful closure of the plaintiff’s factory
premises but refused to award the plaintiff any damages.&nbsp; Dissatisfied with the decision of the High
Court, the plaintiff mounted this appeal by a Notice of Appeal dated 21st
March 2017 which is at pages 404A – 404B of the Record of Appeal.&nbsp; The grounds of appeal set out in the Notice
of appeal were:<o:p></o:p>a.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; That
the judgment is against the weight of evidence.<o:p></o:p>b.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Further
grounds will be filed when the plaintiff receives a copy of the judgement.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>On the 24th of October 2017, this
Court granted the appellant leave to amend its Notice of appeal.&nbsp; The amended notice of appeal was filed by the
appellant on 30th October 2017.&nbsp;
By the amended notice of appeal, the defendant added an additional
ground of appeal that is:<o:p></o:p>c.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The
learned trial judge erred in failing to award the plaintiff damages
notwithstanding the finding that the closure of plaintiff’s factory by the
deputy sheriff under the direction of defendant for 3 years was wrongful and
unlawful thereby occasioning a substantial miscarriage of justice. <o:p></o:p>The judgement appealed against is at pages
382 to 404 of the Record of Appeal Vol 1.&nbsp;
The relief sought from the Court of Appeal is the reversal of the
judgment and all consequential orders and judgment to be entered in favour of
the plaintiff.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>Before dealing with the arguments advanced in
support and against this appeal, I will give a background of the case.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>By an amended Writ of Summons filed on 22nd
of June 2015 plaintiff claimed against the defendant the following reliefs:<o:p></o:p>1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; GH¢4,386,000
being damages suffered by the plaintiff as a result of the closure of
plaintiff’s factory by the defendant.<o:p></o:p>2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Interest
on the said sum from 6th September 2006 to date of final payment.<o:p></o:p>