[2019]DLCA7704 Login to Read Full Case <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">ABUSUAPANIN KWAKU GYEKE AND OPANNIN KWABENA KODUA<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">(PLAINTIFFS/RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p></span></i></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;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua";color:#00B0F0">vs.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; 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">DR. YAW SARFO, OTUMFUO OSEI TUTU II, THE NATIONAL HOUSE OF CHIEFS AND THE ASHANTI REGIONAL HOUSE OF CHIEFS</span></b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua""><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">(</span></i><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif">DEFENDANTS/APPLICANTS/APPELLANTS</span></i><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">)</span></i><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;color:#00B0F0"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">[COURT OF APPEAL, KUMASI]<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" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%; 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:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">CIVIL APPEAL NO.: H1/57/2018 </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"> DATE: 26<sup>TH</sup> NOVEMBER, 2019<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"">CORAM:<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="MsoNoSpacing" style="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">OWUSU J.A. (PRESIDING), DZAMEFE J.A., WELBOURNE J.A.<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif"><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="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%; 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">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">On 26<sup>th</sup> July, 2017, the High Court, Mampong in an application seeking to challenge the jurisdiction of the court ruled among other things that:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:0cm; margin-left:36.0pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">“Even though the respondents by this suit are complaining about the nomination and subsequent enstoolment of the 1<sup>st</sup> applicant and the fact that they did not participate in same they are challenging same in other fora, but for the purpose of this suit, they are seeking a nullification of the registration of the 1<sup>st</sup> applicant by the 4<sup>th</sup> applicant based on allege fraud. This is to my mind is purely an administrative conduct of the 3<sup>rd</sup> and 4<sup>th</sup> applicants which results in the registration of the 1<sup>st</sup> applicant in the register of the national house of chiefs. I have no doubt in my mind that the respondents by their reliefs endorsed on the writ of summons are seeking to challenge the administrative functions of the 3<sup>rd</sup> and 4<sup>th</sup> applicants which in their view led to the wrongful registration of the 1<sup>st</sup> applicant’s name in the National Register and Gazetted. <u>This to my mind will not constitute a cause or matter affecting chieftaincy and I so hold</u></span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"> (our emphasis)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;line-height:115%"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:0cm; margin-left:36.0pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">…The 1<sup>st</sup>, 3<sup>rd</sup> and 4<sup>th</sup> applicants’ applications to set aside or dismiss the suit on grounds of jurisdiction are dismissed.” <o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;line-height:115%"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">He continued:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:0cm; margin-left:36.0pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">“The second leg of the 4<sup>th</sup> applicant’s application to strike out/dismiss the action is misconceived and same is also dismissed.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:0cm; margin-left:36.0pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">Dissatisfied with the decision of the court, the defendants mounted this appeal on the following grounds.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;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="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">For the 1<sup>st</sup> defendant/applicant/appellant, his grounds of appeal are:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:0cm; margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:45.0pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto; text-align:justify;text-indent:-27.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-list:l4 level1 lfo1"><!--[if !supportLists]--><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">1.<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></i><!--[endif]--><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">The honourable trial High Court erred when it held that the matter before it is not a cause or matter affecting chieftaincy <o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:0cm; margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:45.0pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto; text-align:justify;text-indent:-27.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-list:l4 level1 lfo1"><!--[if !supportLists]--><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">2.<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></i><!--[endif]--><i><span lang="EN-US" style="