NII OKWEI KINKA DOWUONA VI vs. G.C.B. BANK LIMITED [2019]DLHC8789

Date	2019-07-25
Suit No.	SUIT NO. LD/1089/2017
Citation No.	[2019]DLHC8789

HIS LORDSHIP JUSTICE ANTHONY OPPONG

KWAME FOSU-GYEABOUR ESQ. FOR PLAINTIFF

NUTIFAFA NUTSUKPUI ESQ. FOR DEFENDANT

[2019]DLHC8789
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >NII OKWEI KINKA DOWUONA
VI<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>G.C.B. BANK LIMITED<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT)<o:p></o:p>[HIGH COURT,
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. LD/1089/2017&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; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; DATE: 25TH JULY, 2019<o:p></o:p>

NUTIFAFA
NUTSUKPUI ESQ., FOR DEFENDANT<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM<o:p></o:p>HIS LORDSHIP JUSTICE ANTHONY OPPONG<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="text-align:center;line-height:115%;
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solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Plaintiff instituted this action
on his own behalf and on behalf of Osu Stool in his capacity as the current
occupant of Osu Stool. The Osu Stool claims ownership of a large tract of lands
situate in certain places in Accra including Osu, Dzorwulu, Ridge, Mamobi,
Kotobabi, among others.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>According to Plaintiff, by a certain Deed of Exchange
between the then Colonial Government and his Stool dated the 2nd day
of June,1930, registered in the Deeds Registry as No. 540/1930, the then
Colonial Government agreed with Plaintiff Stool that all those lands within the
FIRST and THIRD SCHEDULES of the Deed of Exchange were absolutely and forever
vested in Plaintiff Stool and could only be granted by the Plaintiff Stool.
Based on the said Deed of Exchange, the Colonial Government prepared a layout
of the area covered by the THIRD SCHEDULE and named it OSU MANTSE’S LAYOUT,
EUROPEAN RESIDENTIAL AREA, ACCRA and the Osu Stool granted various plots within
the said layout.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>For instance, the Osu Stool granted a 50-year lease dated
the 26th day of May, 1950 in respect of Plot No. 39, 5th
Avenue, European Residential Area, Osu to West African Graphic Company Limited within
the Osu Mantse layout, European Residential Area. West African Graphic Company
Limited subsequently granted the plot to Ghana Graphic Company Limited, now
Graphic Communications Group Limited.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>Upon the expiration of the lease, Lands Commission granted
about 0.75 acre of a portion of the subject matter lease on the said Plot No. 39
and described it as Plot No. 39B, 5th Avenue, Ring Way Estates,
Accra to Graphic Communications Group. Aggrieved by the conduct of Lands
Commission, Plaintiff Stool instituted an action at the High Court, Land
Division, Accra in Suit No. LD/1145/2016
entitled Nii Okwei Kinka Dowuona vrs.
Graphic Communications Group &amp; Lands Commission in respect of the
entire Plot No. 39, 5th Avenue in the head lease dated 26th
May 1950 between Plaintiff Stool and West African Graphic Company Limited.
Plaintiff stool obtained judgment in its favor. The Defendant herein which
happens to be in possession of a portion of the subject matter land and on whom
entry of judgment was served when Plaintiff Stool took executory steps to
recover possession, in pursuit of the said judgment, applied to the court for
relief and it successfully had the entry of judgment set aside.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>Plaintiff stool’s case has it further that a portion of the
head lease assigned to the Defendant has expired but the Defendant claims to
have obtained another lease from the Lands Commission in the year 2009 which Plaintiff
considers as wrongful and void.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>It is also the case of Plaintiff that ever since a portion
of Plot No. 39 was assigned to the Defendant on the 14th day of
September 1972, the Defendant never paid rent to Plaintiff stool until the
assignment expired and has since the expiration of the assignment not paid any
rent to Plaintiff Stool but is now by its conduct challenging Plaintiff stool’s
title to the subject matter of the lease.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>It is against the background of these facts that on the 12th
day of October, 2017 Plaintiff stool mounted this action against the Defendant and
sought the following reliefs:<o:p></o:p>