THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH OF GHANA vs. REGINALD LARTEY OPINTAN AND ANOTHER [2019]DLCA6352

Date	2019-03-14
Suit No.	SUIT NO. H1/282/2018
Citation No.	[2019]DLCA6352

FRANCIS KORBIEH J.A (PRESIDING)

GBIEL SIMON SUURBAAREH J.A

MERLEY WOOD (MRS) J.A

MR I. K. GYIMAH FOR THE PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT

MR ALFRED NII ADJIN MENSAH FOR DEFENDANTS/APPELLANTS

[2019]DLCA6352
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH OF GHANA<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>REGINALD LARTEY OPINTAN AND ANOTHER<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANTS/APPELLANTS)<o:p></o:p>[COURT OF APPEAL, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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SUIT
NO. H1/282/2018&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: 14TH
MARCH, 2019<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL: <o:p></o:p>MR
I. K. GYIMAH FOR THE 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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MR
ALFRED NII ADJIN MENSAH FOR DEFENDANTS/APPELLANTS<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM: <o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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FRANCIS
KORBIEH J.A (PRESIDING), GBIEL SIMON SUURBAAREH J.A AND MERLEY WOOD (MRS)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; J.A<o:p></o:p>

</div>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <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" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
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</div>MERLEY
WOOD J.A:<o:p></o:p>This is an appeal against the judgement
of the High Court, Land Division delivered on 31st July 2017 in
favour of the Plaintiff/Respondent.<o:p></o:p>The facts of the case leading to the
filing of the Writ of Summons and Statement of Claim on 5th October
2016 which was subsequently amended on 10th November 2016 as per the
pleadings are that the Plaintiff/Respondent is a religious organisation while
the Defendants/Appellants are the spokespersons and representatives of the
Opintan Sawyer family. By a Deed of Conveyance dated 4th June 1969
made between John Samuel Tsuni Adiaba on the one part and the Plaintiff/Respondent,
the subject matter of the suit was conveyed to the Plaintiff/Respondent. Its
vendor, John Tsuni Adiaba, obtained the land from Rebecca Opintan in a Deed of
Conveyance dated 2nd May 1963 and the Plaintiff/Respondent has been
worshipping on the land ever since and has obtained a land title certificate.
Due to the increase in its congregation, it started to expand the church
building. However the Defendants/Appellant claiming to be the spokespersons and
representative of the Opintan Sawyer family of Osu, summoned the District
Pastor to the Osu Traditional Council claiming that the lease on the land which
belongs to their family had expired and having failed to renew it, the
Plaintiff/Respondent was liable to pay a fine before any negotiations for the
renewal would be considered.&nbsp; The
Plaintiff/Respondent wrote to the Osu Traditional Council tracing the history
and its root of title to the land. The Defendants/Appellants then lodged a
complaint of fraud at the Osu Police Station and the police purported to place
an injunction on the land while the Defendants/Appellants threatened to disrupt
all the activities of the Plaintiff/Respondent on the land if the Plaintiff did
not cease its activities on the land as directed by the Police. <o:p></o:p>Consequently, the Plaintiff/Respondent
sued the Defendants/Appellants for the following reliefs:<o:p></o:p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;">1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A
declaration of title to all that piece or parcel of land in extent 0.06 hectare
90.15) of an acre more or less being parcel No.90 Block 7, section 0.26 situate
at Christiansborg, Osu in the Greater Accra Region of the Republic of Ghana as
delineated on registry Map No.033/026/1988 in the Land Title Registry,
Victoriaborg, Accra.<o:p></o:p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;">2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Perpetual
Injunction to restrain the Defendant, his family members and all those claiming
interest whatever in the said land from interfering with the quiet enjoyment of
the property without let or hindrance.<o:p></o:p>