THE REPUBLIC vs. THE JUDICIAL COMMITTEE OF KWAHU TRADIOTIONAL COUNCIL-MPRAESO EX PARTE; OPANIN KWAME ADOFO AND OPANIN KWADWO AMPADU [2018]DLCA4670

THE REPUBLIC vs. THE JUDICIAL COMMITTEE OF KWAHU TRADIOTIONAL COUNCIL-MPRAESO E... [2018]DLCA4670

Date	2018-07-25
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO: H1/05/2018
Citation No.	[2018]DLCA4670

K. A. ACQUAYE J.A. (PRESIDING)

S. K. GYAN J.A.

M. M. AGYEMANG (MRS.) J.A.

MR. MOHAMMED MUSAH FOR THE APPLICANT/APPELLANT

MR. OBENG MANU JNR. FOR THE INTERESTED PARTY

[2018]DLCA4670
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>THE JUDICIAL
COMMITTEE OF KWAHU TRADIOTIONAL COUNCIL-MPRAESO<o:p></o:p>(RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>EX PARTE; OPANIN
KWAME ADOFO (APPLICANT/APPLELLANT) AND OPANIN KWADWO AMPADU
(INTERESTED PARTY)<o:p></o:p>[COURT OF APPEAL, KOFORIDUA]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
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padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">CIVIL APPEAL NO: H1/05/2018&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; DATE:
25TH JULY, 2018&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>MR. MOHAMMED MUSAH FOR THE
APPLICANT/APPELLANT&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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</div>CORAM:<o:p></o:p>K.
A. ACQUAYE J.A. (PRESIDING), S. K. GYAN J.A., M. M. AGYEMANG (MRS.) J.A.<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">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>ACQUAYE, J.A.: <o:p></o:p>On 7th March, 2017, the
Applicant/Appellant filed in the High registry of the Court, Koforidua, a
motion for an order of certiorari to quash the proceedings and judgment of the
Judicial Committee of the Kwahu Traditional Council, Mpraeso which judgment was
delivered on 23rd September, 2015 on the ground of error of law,
excess of jurisdiction and bias.&nbsp; The
grounds upon which the application for certiorari was brought, according to the
affidavit in support, were that the Interested Party filed a petition against
the applicant/appellant before the Respondent/Respondent trying to set aside a
judgment of a tribunal of the paramount chief of Kwahu given on 18th
January, 1944 and an accord reached between the parties at an arbitration dated
14th September, 1989.&nbsp; After
hearing the petition, the respondent/respondent gave judgment against the
applicant/appellant.&nbsp; Aggrieved by the
judgment, the applicant/appellant appealed against same to the Judicial
Committee of the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs.&nbsp; After the record of proceedings had been
typed, the applicant/appellant’s lawyer discovered or found out that the whole
proceedings before the Kwahu Traditional Council was flawed with serious errors
of law that go to the jurisdiction of the respondent/respondent. The
applicant/appellants therefore filed an application for certiorari before the
High Court, Koforidua.&nbsp; The applicant’s
complaint was that one Colonel Osei Owusu (Retired) who testified for the
respondents in the earlier petition fell ill in the course of his evidence and
gave a power of attorney to one Solomon Kwasi Gyamera who came to be cross-examined
on the evidence already given by Colonel Osei Owusu (Retired).&nbsp; The applicant/appellant complained that that
procedure was flawed and the judgment based on the legally inadmissible
evidence was in excess of the judicial committee’s jurisdiction.&nbsp; The applicant/appellant also complained that
the Judicial Committee needlessly took upon itself to cross-examine the
petitioner spanning several pages which affected their impartial role leading
to the committee becoming biased against the petitioners/appellants.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>In his affidavit in opposition, the
Interested Party denied that there was any error of law on the face of the
record of proceedings and even if there was, it did not affect the jurisdiction
of the Council.&nbsp; The Interested Party
swore that the evidence that Colonel Osei Owusu (Retired) led was traditional
history and therefore his substitute or attorney, Solomon Kwasi Gyamera could
answer questions on the traditional history handed down by word of mouth which
was common to their generation.&nbsp; The
Interested Party swore in his affidavit in opposition that the rules of
procedure of the Judicial Committee of Traditional Councils allow traditional
evidence to be led and also to admit hearsay evidence.&nbsp; The Interested Party denied that the Judicial
Committee’s cross-examination of the parties was needless but was rather proper
in order to clarify the evidence and that the application for certiorari was
incompetent and must be thrown out.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>