[2018]DLSC485 Login to Read Full Case <span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";color:#00B0F0">THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";color:#00B0F0">vs.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";color:#00B0F0">HIGH COURT (COMMERCIAL DIVISION, ACCRA)<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";color:#00B0F0">EX-PARTE: GHACEM LIMITED [AJ FANJ CONSTRUCTION AND ENGINEERING LIMITED- INTERESTED PARTY]<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;border:none; mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">[SUPREME COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">CIVIL MOTION NO. J5/29/2018 DATE: 30<sup>TH</sup> MAY, 2018 </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;color:#00B0F0"><o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">YONNI KULENDI WITH HIM DANIEL SAGU OSEI FOR THE APPLICANT.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="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"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">MICHAEL GYAN OWUSU WITH HIM OSCAR FORDJOUR FOR THE INTERESTED PARTY/RESPONDENT.<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:6.0pt;text-align:justify"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;">CORAM: <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">DOTSE JSC (PRESIDING), YEBOAH JSC, BAFFOE-BONNIE JSC, APPAU JSC AND <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 16px;">PWAMANG JSC</span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="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"><br></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-US" 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 style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;border:none; mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">RULING<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> </div><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><b><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">DOTSE, JSC:-<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">By these proceedings commenced in this court, the Applicants herein are seeking an order of Certiorari directed at the High Court (Commercial Division), Accra to remove and bring up into this court for the purpose of being quashed, <i>the ruling of the High Court Accra, Coram: Samuel K. A. Asiedu J, dated 21<sup>st</sup> December, 2017 in Suit No. MISC./0184/17 intitutled In The Matter of The High Court Civil Procedure Rules 2004, Order 19 r. 1 (2) And in The Matter of Section 40 of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Act, 2010 (Act 798) And in The Matter of Arbitration Between AJ FANJ Construction Limited And West Africa Quarries Limited And in The Matter of An Application For Determination of A Preliminary Point of Law Pursuant to Section 40 of Act 798, Regarding The Joinder of GHACEM Limited To the Arbitration As a Non Signatory Party.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">FACTS OF THE CASE<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">The facts of the instant application are fairly simple and admit of no controversy whatsoever. They may therefore be stated as follows:-<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">On the 8th of July, 2009, West Africa Quarries Limited (hereinafter called WAQL) entered into a contract with AJ FANJ Construction and Engineering Limited hereafter referred to as the (Interested Party) for the operation of limestone mining, crushing and haulage of limestone from it’s concessions at Yongwa in the Eastern Region. Subsequent to terms of settlement executed between WAQL and the Interested Party, the parties agreed that the Interested Party shall continue to mine and supply limestone from the Yongwa Concession as they had been doing previously based on agreements beyond December 2012, which was the expiry date of the then prevailing agreement. As part of the settlement it was agreed to extend the duration of the 2009 Yongwa contract which was to end in December 2012 for an indefinite period.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">In June 2016, the Yongwa Concession was attached in execution of a judgment obtained against WAQL. Following the shutdown of the Yongwa Concession as a result of the attachment of same in execution of the judgment, the Interested Party herein, instituted arbitral proceedings against WAQL as stipulated in the contract. WAQL not only disputed the claims of the Interested Party, but also proceeded to file it’s statement of Defence, after which the Interested Party filed a Reply. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"">The parties thereafter proceeded to appoint a sole arbitrator to conduct the arbitral proceedings. In the course of the arbitral proceedings, the Interested Party by motion for joinder filed on the 1st of March 2017, brought an application before the Tribunal of the Ghana Arbitration Centre. The Interested Party herein, sought to join the Applicant herein ( GHACEM), a non-signatory party, to the ongoing arbitration between the Interested Party and WAQL in the said application. The arbitral tribunal dismissed the application for joinder whereupon the interested party filed,in the High Court (Commercial Division),an originating motion on notice under section 40 of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Act 2010(Act 798) and order 19 r 1 (2) of C. I. 47, praying the Court for a determination of a preliminary point of law. That is, as to whether in arbitral proceedings conducted in Ghana with the Ghanaian law as the substantive law, the court will have power to join a non-signatory party to the arbitral proceedings in the proper circumstances. The High Court assumed jurisdiction and made an order for joinder of the applicant herein as a party to the arbitral proceedings. It is the decision of the High Court that the applicant invokes the supervisory jurisdic