THE REPUBLIC vs. DISTRICT MAGISTRATE COURT MADINA (RESPONDENT) EXPARTE: FIRST TRUST SAVINGS & LOANS CO.LTD OSEI KWAME AND KAMA DAVID (INTERESTED PARTY) [2019]DLHC7138

THE REPUBLIC vs. DISTRICT MAGISTRATE COURT MADINA (RESPONDENT) EXPARTE: FIRST T... [2019]DLHC7138

Date	2019-07-29
Suit No.	SUIT NO: GJ/0997/2019
Citation No.	[2019]DLHC7138

HIS LORDSHIP SAMUEL K. A. ASIEDU J

EMMANUEL ACOLATSE ESQ. FOR APPLICANT.

CHRISTIAN ASARE- PREMPEH ESQ. FOR INTERESTED PARTY.

[2019]DLHC7138
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>DISTRICT MAGISTRATE
COURT MADINA<o:p></o:p>(RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>EXPARTE:&nbsp; FIRST TRUST SAVINGS &amp; LOANS CO.LTD<o:p></o:p>OSEI KWAME AND KAMA
DAVID<o:p></o:p>(INTERESTED PARTY)<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>[HIGH COURT (COMMERCIAL DIVISION), 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: GJ/0997/2019&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; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; DATE:
29TH JULY, 2019<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL: <o:p></o:p>EMMANUEL ACOLATSE ESQ.,
FOR APPLICANT.<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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CHRISTIAN
ASARE- PREMPEH ESQ., FOR INTERESTED PARTY.<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:<o:p></o:p>HIS LORDSHIP SAMUEL K. A.
ASIEDU, 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>The
parties to the instant application appeared before the Rent Officer, Accra, in
respect of a dispute about the non-payment of rent regarding a property situate
at Dzorwulu in Accra. After the Rent Officer had heard the parties he referred
the matter to the Rent Magistrate, Madina with his recommendation that the
applicants herein be ejected from the premises which they occupy and also for
an order upon the applicant to pay the outstanding rent.<o:p></o:p>The
record of proceedings shows that when the parties appeared before the Rent
Magistrate in Madina, the applicant raised an objection to the jurisdiction of
the Rent Magistrate, Madina to hear the case because, according to them, the
property, subject matter of the action, is situate at Dzorwulu which is in
Accra and so the referral should have been made to the Rent Magistrate in Accra
and not Madina. Indeed, after the objection had been raised, the record shows
that the Rent Magistrate overruled the applicant and then went ahead to make an
order for the ejectment of the applicant from the premises with a further order
for them to pay the rent owing. <o:p></o:p>As
a result, the applicant filed the instant application for certiorari to quash
the orders of the Rent Magistrate on two main grounds that: the Rent Magistrate
lacked jurisdiction to hear the case and secondly, that the Rent Magistrate
breached the rules of natural justice; audi alteram partem rule, by not
granting the applicant a hearing before making the order. The respondent in
their affidavit in opposition had admitted that after the applicant had raised
its objection, the Rent Magistrate overruled the Applicant and then gave his
decision.<o:p></o:p>In
their statement of case filed on the 25th March 2019, the applicant
referred to the District Electoral Areas and Designation of Units Instrument,
2014, CI 85 and submitted that the area where the property in question is
situate is at Dzorwulu which is in Accra and therefore the Rent Magistrate at
Madina had no jurisdiction over the matter. The court had considered CI 85
carefully and the court finds that that Constitutional Instrument deals with
the demarcation of electoral areas for the purposes of District level and Unit
elections. Thus Regulations 1 and 2 of CI 85 states in clear language that:<o:p></o:p>1. The purpose of this Instrument is to demarcate
the electoral boundaries of each District as listed in the second column of the
schedule to this instrument.<o:p></o:p>2 (1) The area of authority of the Electoral Area
shall be determined by the Electoral Commission.<o:p></o:p>(2) The area of authority of a Unit Committee shall
be coterminous with that of an Electoral area. <o:p></o:p>In
the opinion of the court therefore it is incorrect to suggest that CI 85 is the
law which demarcates the area of authority of the District Courts. The
applicable law is the Lower Courts and Tribunals Instrument, 1993 (LI 1574).
Section 2 of LI 1574 provides that<o:p></o:p>Section
2—Community Tribunals.<o:p></o:p>(1) The Community Tribunals specified in column 1
of the Second Schedule to this Instrument are by this Instrument established as
the Community Tribunals for the District specified in relation to each of them
in column 2 of the Second Schedule.<o:p></o:p>(2) The area of jurisdiction of the Community
Tribunals specified in column 1 of the Second Schedule shall be the area of the
Districts specified in relation to them in column 2.<o:p></o:p>It
is also important to refer to section 115(10) of the Courts Act 1993 as amended
which states that:<o:p></o:p>