KASSEKE AKOTO DUGBARTEY SAPPOR vs. VERY REV. SOLOMON DUGBARTEY SAPPOR AND 4 OTHERS [2019]DLCA10043

KASSEKE AKOTO DUGBARTEY SAPPOR vs. VERY REV. SOLOMON DUGBARTEY SAPPOR AND 4 OTHE... [2019]DLCA10043

Date	2019-04-11
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO.: H1/59/2014
Citation No.	[2019]DLCA10043

F. KUSI-APPIAH JA (PRESIDING)

B. F. ACKAH-YENSU JA

TANKO AMADU JA

MOHAMMED SALNOON FOR DEFENDANTS/RESPONDENTS

MR. E. SAM CRABBE WITH NARSH K. ADJEI FOR PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT

[2019]DLCA10043
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >KASSEKE AKOTO DUGBARTEY SAPPOR<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF/
APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>VERY REV. SOLOMON DUGBARTEY SAPPOR AND 4 OTHERS <o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANTS/
RESPONDENTS)<o:p></o:p>[COURT OF APPEAL, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">CIVIL APPEAL NO.: H1/59/2014&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: 11TH APRIL, 2019<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>MOHAMMED
SALNOON FOR DEFENDANTS/RESPONDENTS<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">

<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">MR.
E. SAM CRABBE WITH NARSH K. ADJEI FOR PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>F. KUSI-APPIAH JA
(PRESIDING), B. F. ACKAH-YENSU JA, TANKO AMADU JA<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top-width: 1.5pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-left: none; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-right: none; padding: 1pt 0cm;">

<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:
.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:center;border:none;mso-border-top-alt:
solid windowtext 1.5pt;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:
0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>&nbsp;B.
ACKAH-YENSU, JA<o:p></o:p>This appeal is from
the judgment of the High Court (Land Division) Accra, delivered on 29th
November, 2013 wherein the plaintiffs’ case was dismissed.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;In the High Court, Kasseke
Akoto Dugbartey Sappor, who was subsequently substituted by Atteh Sappor (alternately
referred to as “1st Plaintiff”, or “Plaintiff/Appellant”), together
with two other plaintiffs, Samuel Dugbartey Sappor and Joseph Narh Sappor,
claimed against the Defendants/Respondents, inter
alia, for a declaration that the purported sale of the family property
comprising of Plots Nos. 103 and 104, Adabraka, Accra was null, void and of no
legal effect.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;The antecedents to
the said case, in a nutshell, are as follows:<o:p></o:p>The late Margaret
Korkor Dugbartey Sappor died in 1952 possessed of a lot of properties including
the property in dispute, Plots Nos. 103 and 104, Adabraka, Accra.&nbsp; It is evident from an affidavit deposed to by
one Grace Plange (see page 468 of the Record of Appeal) that Margaret Korkor
Dugbartey Sappor died testate and willed her estate to the said Grace Plange as
the sole legatee.&nbsp; It appears however
that the property in dispute was not one of the properties devised to Grace
Plange.&nbsp; At any rate, Grace Plange explicitly
expressed her disinterestedness in the property in dispute for the reason that
she was content with what she got from the Will of the late Margaret Korkor
Dugbartey Sappor.&nbsp; She accordingly gave
authority to the head of the Sappor family at Ada Foah, Very Reverend Solomon
Dugbartey Sappor, to obtain Letters of Administration to administer the
properties of Margaret Korkor Dugbartey Sappor which were not mentioned in her
Will.&nbsp; By this, even if Grace Plange
inherited the property in dispute, she ceded her interest therein in favour of the
Sappor family.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;The Sappor family in
the quest to find all other properties which belonged to the late Margaret
Korkor Dugbartey Sappor, granted a Power of Attorney to one Afi Binga Dugbartey
Sappor who apparently lived with the late Margaret Korkor Dugbartey
Sappor.&nbsp; The purpose for the grant of the
Power of Attorney was to gather and manage all other properties belonging to
the late Margaret Korkor Dugbartey Sappor.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;In May 2006, the 1st
– 4th Defendants/Respondents obtained the grant of Letters of
Administration and in March 2007, the family property in dispute was vested in
the 2nd and 4th Defendants/Respondents.&nbsp; Thereafter, the 2nd and 4th
Respondents executed a contract of sale of the property in dispute to the 5th
Defendant/Respondent.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;The 1st to
4th Defendants/Respondents subsequently realized that Afi Binga
Dugbartey Sappor had executed a title deed in her name.&nbsp; The said Respondents consequently sued Afi
Binga Dugbartey Sappor in the High Court for the title registration to be set
aside and for the court to declare the property as that of the Sappor family.&nbsp; The High Court granted the said Defendants/Respondents
their reliefs (see pages 369-389 of the Record of Appeal).&nbsp; After this judgment was given, the 1st
Defendant/Respondent executed an indenture in favour of the 5th Defendant/Respondent.&nbsp; It is the execution of this indenture that triggered
the suit at the High Court which has culminated in the instant appeal.&nbsp; The Plaintiff/Appellant aggrieved with the
judgment of the High Court has instituted the instant appeal on twelve (12)
grounds.&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>&nbsp;The issue of the
capacity of the Plaintiff/Appellant can be distilled from grounds (i) and (j)
formulated, as follows:<o:p></o:p>“(i)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; That the trial judge erred in the law and
in fact when he held that 1st plaintiff is not a member of the
Sappor family.<o:p></o:p>