[2018]DLHC5361 Login to Read Full Case <span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; color:#00B0F0">MRS. MATILDA AKU OBENG AND EMEFA YAA EGBENYA-OBENG</span></b><b><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center"><b><i><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">(</span></i></b><span class="NoSpacingChar"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">PLAINTIFFS</span></i></span><b><i><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">)</span></i></b><span class="NoSpacingChar"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center"><span class="NoSpacingChar"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; color:#00B0F0">vs.</span></b></span><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; color:#00B0F0"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";color:#00B0F0">ATTORNEY GENERAL, THE CHIEF OF THE DEFENCE STAFF, DIRECTOR OF ESTATE – GAF AND THE COMMANDING OFFICER - GAF<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt;text-align:center"><span class="NoSpacingChar"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri">(</span></i></span><span class="NoSpacingChar"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">DEFENDANTS</span></i></span><span class="NoSpacingChar"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri">)</span></i></span><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">[HIGH COURT (GENERAL JURISDICTION DIVISION), ACCRA]</span><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;border:none; mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">SUIT NO.GJ/1051</span></b><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">/2016</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma"> </span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""> </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">DATE: 10</span><sup><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">TH</span></sup><span style="font-size:10.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma"> APRIL, 2018</span><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> </div><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">MR. BRIGHT OKYERE ADJEKUM WITH MAAME SARPONG FOR THE PLAINTIFFS <i><o:p></o:p></i></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">MS. UMMU ZAKARI FOR THE DEFENDANTS<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">CORAM: </span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"> <p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"><span class="NoSpacingChar"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">JUSTICE KWEKU T. ACKAAH- BOAFO</span></span><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> </div><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"> <p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" align="center" style="text-align:center;border:none; mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">JUDGMENT</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma"><o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">i. Introduction:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">[1]</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman""> In this case, a decision made by the Director of Estates of the Ghana Armed Forces’ Committee of Adjustment in respect of the late Air Commodore Obeng (Deceased), is the centerpiece of this litigation. The Plaintiffs contend that the Committee erred by varying the Nomination Form, DFA 400 to add persons who were not listed as beneficiaries by the deceased. The court is called upon to consider among other things, whether the Director of Estates has the right to vary the DFA 400 of the deceased.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">[2]</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman""> Per a writ of summons sealed in this registry on 26th day of September, 2016 the Plaintiffs claimed against the Defendants herein the following judicial reliefs set out here below:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:111.0pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto; text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">a.<span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></b><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman""> A Declaration that the 3rd Defendant is not entitled to vary the Nomination Paper (DFA 400) of the Deceased.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:111.0pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto; text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">b.<span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></b><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">A Declaration that 3rd Defendant’s variation of the Nomination Paper (DFA 400) of the Deceased is arbitrary, unlawful, null and void. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:111.0pt;