LINDA APPAH vs. FRANCIS KOFFI KLUTSE AND MESSEURS VANDERPUYE ORGLE ESTATES LIMITED [2018]DLCA5070

LINDA APPAH vs. FRANCIS KOFFI KLUTSE AND MESSEURS VANDERPUYE ORGLE ESTATES LIM... [2018]DLCA5070

Date	2018-02-08
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO: H1/38/2016
Citation No.	[2018]DLCA5070

KUSI-APPIAH J.A. (PRESIDING)

HONYENUGA J.A.

KWOFIE J.A.

NII AKWEI BRUCE THOMPSON FOR DEFENDANT/APPELLANT

SUSUANA NYAMPONG (M/S) FOR PLAINTIFFS/RESPONDENTS

[2018]DLCA5070
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >LINDA APPAH <o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>FRANCIS KOFFI KLUTSE AND MESSEURS VANDERPUYE ORGLE ESTATES
LIMITED <o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFFS/RESPONDENTS)<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi"><o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>[COURT OF APPEAL, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

CIVIL APPEAL NO: H1/38/2016 &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; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;DATE: 8TH
FEBRUARY, 2018<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>NII
AKWEI BRUCE THOMPSON FOR DEFENDANT/APPELLANT<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

SUSUANA NYAMPONG (M/S) FOR
PLAINTIFFS/RESPONDENTS <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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KUSI-APPIAH
J.A. (PRESIDING), HONYENUGA J.A., KWOFIE 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;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>KUSI-APPIAH,
J.A.:&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>The
respondents to this appeal, Francis Koffi Klutse and Vanderpuye Orgle Estates
Limited (hereinafter called the Plaintiffs) brought an action at the High
Court, Accra against the appellant herein, Linda Appah (hereinafter called the
Defendant) for declaration of title to a piece or parcel of land lying and
being at New Aplaku between miles 9 and 11 off the Accra Winneba road in the
Greater Accra Region covering an approximate area of 0.51 acres.<o:p></o:p>Apart
from the declaration, the plaintiffs also sought recovery of possession of the
said land, general damages for trespass and conversion of building materials
and an order to demolish the structures erected on the land and perpetual
injunction against the defendant and her privies.&nbsp; The facts which gave rise to the case are as
follows:<o:p></o:p>On
or about 28th September, 1973, the 2nd plaintiff a real
estate developer, acquired a large tract of land including the land in dispute
from one Nii Adja Kwao II who was then the paramount chief and lawful
representative of the James Town Stool.&nbsp;
The 2nd plaintiff’s conveyance was challenged in 1989 on the
ground that the James Town Chief who had sold the land to them had been
destooled and as such the Lands Commission should expunge the records relating
to the conveyance.<o:p></o:p>But
the 2nd plaintiff’s said grant was confirmed by the Supreme Court in
the case of Republic vrs. Court of
Appeal, Ex parte Lands Commission, Vanderpuye Orgle Estates Ltd. (Interested
Party (1998-99) S.C.G.L.R. 677. &nbsp;The Supreme Court in that case held inter
alia that the acts made by the chief before his destoolment were valid
including the 2nd plaintiff’s conveyance.<o:p></o:p>Sometime
in 2010, the 2nd plaintiff sublet a portion of the land in the 1973
conveyance to the 1st plaintiff.&nbsp;
It is the plaintiffs’ case that at the time of the conveyance, the land
was bare of any structure.&nbsp; That the 1st
plaintiff took effective possession of land and deposited twelve (12) trips of
stone, 28 trips of gravel, two trips of sand and one thousand (1,000) 6-inch
cement blocks on the land to develop same.&nbsp;
However, the 1st plaintiff was chased away by land guards/ persons
in the employ of the defendant. According to the 1st plaintiff, the
defendant then proceeded to build on the land using his building materials and
preventing the plaintiffs from having access to the land.<o:p></o:p>For
her part, the defendant filed a 14 paragraph defence in which she denied
plaintiffs claim to ownership of the land, the alleged possession of 1st
plaintiff’s grantor and that of himself:<o:p></o:p>