FEDERATED COMMODITIES LIMITED vs. CHRISTIAN OWUSU [2018]DLHC3727

Date	2018-06-17
Suit No.	SUIT NO.OCC/37/17
Citation No.	[2018]DLHC3727

ANGELINA MENSAH-HOMIAH (MRS.) JUSTICE OF THE HIGH COURT

AKUA POKUAA KWARTENG PLAINTIFF.

STEPHEN KOOMSON FOR FRANCIS OWUSU ASARE FOR DEFENDANT.

[2018]DLHC3727
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><a name="OLE_LINK1">FEDERATED
COMMODITIES LIMITED<o:p></o:p></a>vs.<o:p></o:p>CHRISTIAN OWUSU<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;[HIGH COURT (COMMERCIAL DIVISION), KUMASI]<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">

SUIT NO.OCC/37/17&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &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: 17TH JULY, 2018<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>AKUA
POKUAA KWARTENG PLAINTIFF.<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">

STEPHEN KOOMSON FOR FRANCIS OWUSU ASARE FOR
DEFENDANT.<o:p></o:p>

ANGELINA MENSAH-HOMIAH (MRS.) JUSTICE OF
THE HIGH COURT<o:p></o:p>

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

</div>By
a Writ of Summons and Statement of Claim issued from the Registry of this court
on 14/12/2016, the Plaintiff which described itself as a Registered Licensed
Cocoa Buying Company, claimed the following reliefs from the Defendant who was
employed as a District Marketing Officer (DMO) in the Plaintiff Company:<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
i.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Recovery of the sum of One Hundred and
Forty- Two Thousand, One Hundred and Thirty- One Ghana Cedis (GHC 142,131.00)
being the sum of money advanced to the Defendant by the Plaintiff for purchase
of 424 and 437.73 bags of cocoa beans and fertilizers respectively but has
failed to do so and the cost of Plaintiff’s fertilizers sold by the Defendant which
he has refused to account for despite repeated demands on him by Plaintiff.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
ii.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Interest on the said sum mentioned in
relief (i) at the prevailing bank lending rate from 28th May, 2012
up to the date of full and final payment.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;
iii.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Cost on full indemnity basis. <o:p></o:p>BACKGROUND FACTS<o:p></o:p>According
to the Plaintiff, the Defendant was the District Marketing Officer (DMO) in
charge of the Plaintiff’s Konongo District in the Ashanti Region. Per the
practice of the Plaintiff’s business, money was advanced to the Defendant at
the beginning of every cocoa season to enable him purchase cocoa beans for the Plaintiff
Company. In the 2011/2012 and 2012/2013 cocoa seasons, the Defendant could
not&nbsp;&nbsp; deliver all the cocoa beans for
which monies had been paid to him. At the beginning of each cocoa season, it
was also the practice of the Defendant that fertilizer will be delivered to the
Defendant for onward sale to the farmers. It is alleged that in the 2011/2012
and 2012/2013 cocoa seasons, the Defendant failed to pay for the 437.73 bags of
fertilizer which he sold to farmers. On or about 28th May, 2013, the
Defendant in writing undertook to settle the sum of GHC 142,131.00 but refused
to pay. Rather, he tendered his resignation letter in July 2013, but the Defendant
rejected the same and interdicted him.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>These
allegations have been denied by the Defendant on the bases that in the
2011-2012 cocoa season, monies advanced to him for the purchase of cocoa were
all accounted for to the satisfaction of the Plaintiff including Purchasing
Clerks Recovery of 130 bags, 411 bags of cocoa lost on account of being rotten
due to bad weather and therefore unfit for ex</main>