[2019]DLCA7707 Login to Read Full Case <span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><span class="NoSpacingChar"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; color:#00B0F0">AWUDU GOGOBIDI<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></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">(<span class="NoSpacingChar">DEFENDANT/APPELLANT</span>)<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="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><span class="NoSpacingChar"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; color:#00B0F0">SAMUEL SEWOR AND SIMON NYAME AMEMASOR</span></b></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;color:#00B0F0"><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;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">(</span></i><span class="NoSpacingChar"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi">PLAINTIFFS/RESPONDENTS</span></i></span><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 </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri">(CIVIL DIVISION)</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">, HO]<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: H1/03/2019</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"> DATE: 26<sup>TH</sup> JUNE, 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">COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">RAYMOND AKPATSA FOR DEFENDANT/APPLICANT/ APPELLANT<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="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">EBENEZER AHIATOR FOR PLAINTIFFS/RESPONDENTS/RESPONDENTS<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;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">F.G. KORBIEH JA (PRESIDING), M.M. AGYEMANG (MRS.) JA, M. A WOOD (MRS.) JA<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="line-height:115%"><b><u><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial">AGYEMANG JA:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial">On February 9, 2018, the High Court, Denu delivered a judgment dismissing an appeal lodged before it against the judgment of the District Court, Aflao. This is an appeal by the defendant/appellant (hereafter referred to as the defendant, or the appellant), against the said judgment.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial">The matters antecedent to the instant appeal, are as follows:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial">The plaintiffs/respondents (hereafter referred to alternately as the plaintiffs, or the respondents), commenced suit against the defendant at the District Court, Aflao, claiming the following reliefs: the recovery of rent arrears in the sum of </span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Cambria",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Cambria">Ȼ</span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial">2,200, a quit order for the defendant to vacate the land in dispute, and costs of suit.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial">It was the case of the plaintiffs that their family was the owner of the land in dispute, described as located near the main Customs (CEPS) yard, towards the Lome-Aflao border; bounded on one side by Zigge, on another, by Sekoli, on another, by the Preventive School, and on the last side by Dzaka, opposite the highway, in front of Eliklim Pharmacy, measuring about a quarter of a building plot. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial">According to the plaintiffs, the disputed land, at present, occupied by the defendant, belonged to one Torgbui Dzikla by purchase in 1957, and that the ownership passed to their grandfather Azalekor Kwadzo Dokla. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial">It was the case of the plaintiffs that the father of the defendant: Alhaji Cocobiri or Gogobidi, or Bokobiri (as the case may be), entered into an oral agreement with the plaintiffs’ grandfather for him to occupy the said land as a tenant. The plaintiffs who gave hearsay evidence regarding the said agreement, not having had firsthand knowledge of the matter, testified of the rent payments allegedly made by the defendant’s father to their grandfather under the agreement although they failed to corroborate their assertion with receipts or other evidence of such payments. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial">It was their case, that upon the death of his father, the defendant took over the occupation of the land in dispute under the alleged agreement, but failed to pay rent. So it was that the plaintiffs, in 2006, and then in 2008, and 2014, allegedly invited the defendant to a meeting for him to attorn tenant to the plaintiffs’ family. The defendant allegedly failed to heed their call until he was summoned by the second plaintiff to a family meeting. At the said family meeting, the defendant allegedly told them that he was travelling to Mecca and would come for a discussion upon his return. He allegedly left </span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Cambria",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Cambria">Ȼ</span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial">50 as earnest money: ‘for kolanuts’. Having failed to return for the promised meeting, the plaintiffs served him with an eviction notice which the defendant ignored. The plaintiff then begun the instant suit seeking the aforesaid reliefs.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua"