BSIC (GHANA) LTD. vs. MILL SARFO CO. LTD., NOAH KWAME OSAFO, MILLICENT OSAFO, JUSTICE ACQUAH QUANSAH AND RAYMOND KPAKPO SACKAR [2018]DLHC9111

BSIC (GHANA) LTD. vs. MILL SARFO CO. LTD., NOAH KWAME OSAFO, MILLICENT OSAFO, J... [2018]DLHC9111

Date	2018-11-08
Suit No.	SUIT NO. CM/BFS/0490/16
Citation No.	[2018]DLHC9111

HER LADYSHIP JUSTICE JENNIFER ABENA DADZIE

JASMIN ASIEDU ESQ. (H/B FOR KWAME AKYIANU ESQ.) OF AKYIANU & ASSOCIATES VINEYARD CHAMBERS ACCRA COUNSEL FOR PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT

ANTOINETTE ESSILFIE ESQ. WITH JEDIDIAH WILLIAMS ESQ. (H/B FOR BOBBY BANSON ESQ.) OF SMITH & ADELAIDE LAW ACCRA COUNSEL FOR 1ST AND 2ND DEFENDANTS/APPLICANTS

[2018]DLHC9111
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >BSIC (GHANA) LTD.<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>MILL SARFO
CO. LTD., NOAH KWAME OSAFO, MILLICENT OSAFO, JUSTICE ACQUAH QUANSAH AND RAYMOND
KPAKPO SACKAR<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT/APPLICANT)<o:p></o:p>[HIGH COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
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padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">SUIT NO. CM/BFS/0490/16&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &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 NOVEMBER, 2018<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>JASMIN ASIEDU, ESQ. (H/B FOR KWAME AKYIANU, ESQ.) OF
AKYIANU &amp; ASSOCIATES, VINEYARD CHAMBERS, ACCRA, COUNSEL FOR
PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT<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:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">ANTOINETTE ESSILFIE,
ESQ. WITH JEDIDIAH WILLIAMS, ESQ. (H/B FOR BOBBY BANSON, ESQ.) OF SMITH &amp;
ADELAIDE LAW, ACCRA, COUNSEL FOR 1ST AND 2ND
DEFENDANTS/APPLICANTS<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:<o:p></o:p>HER LADYSHIP JUSTICE JENNIFER ABENA DADZIE<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:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
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mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">RULING<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>Before me is an application filed by
the 1st and 2nd Defendants/Applicants in this case
(referred to hereafter as “Applicants”) praying the Court for an Order to set
aside the judgement obtained against them by the Plaintiff/Respondent
(hereinafter, referred to as “Respondent”) in default of their entering
appearance in the suit and also for leave to enter appearance out of time and
to defend the suit.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>It is the claim of the Applicants
that by a newspaper publication dated August 17, 2018, their attention was
drawn to a notice of Entry of Judgment dated November 28, 2017 obtained against
the Defendants herein, which had been published therein by the Respondent.&nbsp; A copy of the said publication is attached to
their affidavit in support of the Application as Exhibit “MS1”.&nbsp; It is the
contention of the Applicants that until they saw this publication, they had
never been aware of the fact of any suit for recovery of money owed and due
having been instituted against them by the Respondent.&nbsp; They also claim that they are not indebted to
the Respondent but more importantly, not having sighted the Writ of Summons and
Statement of Claim, they are unable to proffer a defence to the action even
though they are desirous of defending the suit.&nbsp;
They attach as Exhibit “MS2”
a letter dated September 3, 2018 written by their counsel to the Registry
requesting for copies of all processes filed thus far in the suit and state
further that they have received no response to same at this time.&nbsp; They also indicate that their counsel has filed
a draft Notice of Appearance marked as Exhibit
“MS3” to demonstrate their willingness to appear and defend the suit.&nbsp; It is the further contention of the
Applicants that if the judgment is not set aside for the trial to take place
and a final judgment delivered based on the merits of the case, there will be a
miscarriage of justice.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The motion is opposed by the
Respondent on the ground that the Writ of Summons and Statement of Claim were
duly published once in the Daily Graphic Newspaper of Tuesday July 18, 2017 and
the Notice Board of the Commercial Division, High Court, Accra, for fourteen
(14) days pursuant to the Order of the Court dated May 8, 2017.&nbsp; The Respondent further states that upon the
expiration of the said fourteen (14) days, the Applicants failed to enter
appearance within the stipulated period after which the Respondent proceeded to
file a Motion for Leave to Enter Final Judgment in Default of Appearance which
was granted by the Court on November 28, 2017. The Respondent also states that
due to the fact that it was not able to effect personal service of the Notice
of Entry of Judgment filed on June 19, 2018 on the Applicants, it proceeded to
obtain from the Court another Order for Substituted Service which was granted
by the Court on July 30, 2018.&nbsp; The
Respondent claims that it duly published in the Daily Graphic Newspaper of
Friday, August 17, 2018</main>