THE REPUBLIC vs. THE REGISTRAR & PRESIDENT, OF NATIONAL HOUSE OF CHIEFS, KUMASI AND THE REGISTRAR & PRESIDENT, CENTRAL REGIONAL HOUSE OF CHIEFS, CAPE COAST EX-PARTE: EBUSUAPANTIN KOJO YAMOAH AND NANA ABOR YAMOAH [2018]DLSC4202

THE REPUBLIC vs. THE REGISTRAR & PRESIDENT, OF NATIONAL HOUSE OF CHIEFS, KUMASI... [2018]DLSC4202

Date	2018-07-25
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. J4/45/2017
Citation No.	[2018]DLSC4202

DOTSE JSC (PRESIDING)

YEBOAH JSC

BAFFOE-BONNIE JSC

APPAU JSC

PWAMANG JSC

K. O. AMPONSAH DADZIE FOR THE APPLICANTS/RESPONDENTS /APPELLANTS.

ENERSTINA ABRAHAM FOR THE 1ST RESPONDENT/APPELLANT/RESPONDENT.

[2018]DLSC4202
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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 REGISTRAR &amp; PRESIDENT, OF NATIONAL HOUSE OF CHIEFS,
KUMASI AND THE REGISTRAR &amp; PRESIDENT, CENTRAL REGIONAL HOUSE OF CHIEFS,
CAPE COAST EX-PARTE: EBUSUAPANTIN KOJO YAMOAH AND NANA ABOR YAMOAH<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;[SUPREME
COURT, 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. J4/45/2017&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &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<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>K. O. AMPONSAH DADZIE FOR
THE APPLICANTS/RESPONDENTS /APPELLANTS.<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">

ENERSTINA
ABRAHAM FOR THE 1ST RESPONDENT/APPELLANT/RESPONDENT.<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM: <o:p></o:p>DOTSE, JSC (PRESIDING)
YEBOAH, JSC BAFFOE-BONNIE, JSC APPAU, JSC AND PWAMANG, JSC<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>APPAU,
JSC:-<o:p></o:p>This
is an appeal against the decision of the Court of Appeal dated 27th
February 2017. The 1st appellant is the Ebusuapanyin of the 2nd
appellant’s royal family of Gomoa Fetteh whilst the 2nd appellant Nana
Abor Yamoah II, is the chief of Gomoa Fetteh. They would, hereinafter, be
referred to simply as appellants.<o:p></o:p>The
background to this appeal is that; on the 27th day of February 2012,
the Central Regional House of Chiefs wrote a letter to the National House of
Chiefs requesting the National House of Chiefs to expunge the name of the 2nd
appellant from the National Register of Chiefs (Register) as the Chief of Gomoa
Fetteh and the Twafohene of Gomoa Akyempim Traditional Area. When the
appellants got wind of this letter which was written without any notice to them,
they filed a suit in the High Court, Cape Coast against both the National House
of Chiefs and the Central Regional House of Chiefs as 1st and 2nd
defendants respectively. The reliefs sought in the writ were: <o:p></o:p>(a)<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
A
declaration that the 2nd defendant (i.e. the Central Regional House
of Chiefs) has acted in contravention of the rule of natural justice in its
decision contained in its letter No. CRHC/71/RC/02/V.3/92 dated 27th
February 2012. <o:p></o:p>(b)<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
A
declaration that the said decision contained in the letter No.
CRHC/71/RC/02/V.3/92 dated 27th February 2012 is void, ultra vires
and offensive to the audi alteram partem rule of natural justice.<o:p></o:p>(c)<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Perpetual
injunction restraining the 1st defendant from acting upon the said
letter as directed by the 2nd defendant. <o:p></o:p>The
1st defendant entered a conditional appearance to the writ and filed
a motion to challenge the jurisdiction of the High Court on the ground that the
matters in contention constituted a cause or matter affecting chieftaincy for
which the High Court‘s jurisdiction was constitutionally ousted. The trial High
Court per Olivia Obeng Owusu, J, on the 20th of December 2012,
dismissed the motion holding that the matter before the court was not a cause
or matter affecting chieftaincy so the High Court had jurisdiction to determine
it. The judge consequently ordered the defendants to file their statements of
defence to the action. The suit, however, suffered a jilt when it had to be
transferred from the Cape Coast High Court to the Winneba High Court on the
transfer orders of the Chief Justice. As to what led to the transfer, the
records are silent on that. <o:p></o:p>The
Winneba High Court consolidated the suit with another suit titled Nana Abam
&amp; Another v Nana Abor Yamoah &amp; Another. After the consolidation, the defendants
repeated their challenge to the jurisdiction of the trial High Court
notwithstanding the fact that the High Court in Cape Coast, which had
co-ordinate jurisdiction with the High Court, Winneba, had dismissed a similar
motion brought before it prior to the transfer of the suit. The trial High
Court, Winneba, notwithstanding the earlier decision of the High Court Cape
Coast dismissing a similar application, granted the application and dismissed
the action on grounds that the suit was a cause or matter affecting chieftaincy
so it had no juri</main>