KWADWO OPOKU AND ANOTHER vs. ERIC KOFI BOATENG [2019]DLHC6849

Date	2019-01-24
Suit No.	SUIT NO. 0CC 80/2017
Citation No.	[2019]DLHC6849

DR. RICHMOND OSEI-HWERE J

AKUA POKUAA KWARTENG FOR THE PLAINTIFFS

AMA ASENSO FOR THE DEFENDANT

[2019]DLHC6849
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >KWADWO OPOKU AND ANOTHER<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>ERIC KOFI BOATENG<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT)<o:p></o:p>[HIGH COURT, KUMASI]<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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padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">SUIT NO. 0CC 80/2017&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; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; DATE:&nbsp;&nbsp;
24TH JANUARY, 2019<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>AKUA POKUAA KWARTENG FOR THE PLAINTIFFS<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" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
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DEFENDANT<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:<o:p></o:p>DR.
RICHMOND OSEI-HWERE, J<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border-top:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
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mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0in 1.0pt 0in">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>By
this action, the Plaintiffs seek the following reliefs against the Defendant: <o:p></o:p>a)
Recovery of the land as well as the building thereon known as house No. Block
39, Plot 1, Ahodwo, Kumasi.<o:p></o:p>b)
An order from this Honorable court directing the Defendant to render accounts
on the said property.<o:p></o:p>c)
General damages for the breach of the lease agreement of 18th August 1999.<o:p></o:p>d)
Costs including lawyer’s fees.<o:p></o:p>The
facts which gave rise to this suit are narrated below:<o:p></o:p>Sometime
in August, 1999, the Plaintiffs together with one Abusuapanin Yaw Adu (now
deceased) entered into an agreement with the Defendant for the latter to build
a three storey building on an undeveloped portion of land known as house No.
Block 39 Plot 1. The agreement stipulated that the Defendant would use a period
of two (2) years to complete the structure. Also, it was a term of the
agreement that the Defendant upon completion of the ground floor of the
property would rent same out and use part of the proceeds to sponsor two (2)
members of the Plaintiffs’ family to travel abroad. The Defendant, per the
agreement, was to enjoy proceeds from the rental of the shops for a period of
thirty-five (35) years before handing same over to the Plaintiffs.<o:p></o:p>It
is also a fact that by the year 2001, the Defendant had developed the basement
and ground floor of the property and rented out all seven (7) shops on the
ground floor. The development of the basement is,however, not yet
complete.After renting the shops out, the Defendant has failed or refused to
sponsor two (2) people from the Plaintiffs’ family to travel abroad and has
also failed or refused to carry any further development on the building. <o:p></o:p>After
unsuccessful attempts at settlement the following issues were set down for
trial:<o:p></o:p>I.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Whether or not the suit has been
commenced in the proper forum.<o:p></o:p>II.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Whether or not the suit is statute
barred.<o:p></o:p>III.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Whether or not the suit is an abuse of
the court’s process.<o:p></o:p>IV.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Whether or not the Plaintiffs have
capacity to institute the present action.<o:p></o:p>V.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Whether or not the purported service of
the writ of summons and statement of claim on the defendant on non-working day
is valid.<o:p></o:p>VI.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Whether or not the Defendant has failed
to sponsor two members of Plaintiffs family abroad.<o:p></o:p>VII.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Whether or not the Plaintiffs are entitled
to their claim.<o:p></o:p>The Case of the Plaintiffs<o:p></o:p>The
Plaintiffs’ case is that the defendant has not fulfilled his obligations under
the terms of the contract. They contend that the defendant has failed or
refused to sponsor two members of their family abroad even though he has rented
out seven stores since 2001. According to the 2nd Plaintiff’s lawful attorney
who testified, the Plaintiffs did not even know the whereabouts of the
Defendant after he rented the shops out. It was only after the Plaintiffs
together with one Abusuapanin Yaw Adu (deceased) sued the Defendant that he
resurfaced.<o:p></o:p>Apart
from the Defendants failure to send two (2) people from Plaintiffs family
abroad, he also failed to develop the pr</main>