P.Y. ATTAH & SONS LTD. vs. KINSMAN ENTERPRISE LTD. [2019]DLHC8950

Date	2019-11-22
Suit No.	SUIT NO. GJ0047/2020
Citation No.	[2019]DLHC8950

HER LADYSHIP JUSTICE JENNIFER A. DADZIE

SIMON OKYERE ESQ. OF FUGAR & COMPANY INDEPENDENCE AVENUE ACCRA

ACCRA

COUNSEL FOR PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT

MUSAH AHMED ESQ. OF LEGAL CONSULT SPINTEX ROAD ACCRA COUNSEL FOR DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT

[2019]DLHC8950
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >P.Y. ATTAH &amp; SONS LTD.<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>KINSMAN ENTERPRISE LTD.<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT/APPLICANT)<o:p></o:p>[HIGH
COURT (COMMERCIAL DIVISION), ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</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:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
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">SUIT NO. GJ0047/2020&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: 22ND NOVEMBER, 2019<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>SIMON OKYERE, ESQ., OF FUGAR &amp;
COMPANY, INDEPENDENCE AVENUE, ACCRA, ACCRA, COUNSEL FOR PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;line-height:115%;tab-stops:298.8pt;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:
solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">MUSAH AHMED, ESQ., OF LEGAL CONSULT,
SPINTEX ROAD, ACCRA, COUNSEL FOR DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:<o:p></o:p>HER LADYSHIP, JUSTICE JENNIFER A. DADZIE<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%;
border:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;mso-border-bottom-alt:
solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">RULING<o:p></o:p>

</div>Until
30th August, 2019, the Plaintiff/Respondent, hereafter referred to
as Plaintiff, was the sublessor of the Defendant/Applicant, also referenced
herein as Defendant, a relationship that commenced in November 1993 for various
periods and was for the unexpired term of the Plaintiff’s lease, less a day. It
is the case of the Plaintiff that contrary to the terms of the subleases, the
Defendant has refused to surrender or yield up to the sub-lessor the demised
premises and in addition had violated various covenants including the payment
of rents and challenging the title of the Plaintiff, the sub-lessor.<o:p></o:p>It
is for these reasons that on 9th October, 2019, the Plaintiff caused
to be issued out of the Registry of this court, a writ of summons and the
accompanying statement of claim for the following reliefs:<o:p></o:p><ol style="margin-top:0cm" start="1" type="a">
 <li class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;
 mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1">An order directed at
 the Defendant to surrender, vacate and yield up all the premises known as
 plot 78A and registered as No. 1067/1972 or all portions of it to the
 Plaintiff pursuant to the terms of the various subleases between the
 parties.<o:p></o:p></li>
 <li class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;
 mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1">An order for police
 assistance to enable the Plaintiff recover possession of the said premises
 should the Defendant fail to peaceably surrender and vacate same.<o:p></o:p></li>
 <li class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;
 mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1">Costs<o:p></o:p></li>
 <li class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;
 mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1">Any other relief(s)
 this honourable court may deem fit.<o:p></o:p></li>
</ol>From
the records before me, it appears after the Defendant caused conditional
appearance to be entered on its behalf by counsel on 18th October,
2019, it had not yet filed its statement of defence when on 31st
October, 2019, the Plaintiff filed a Motion on Notice for Summary judgment to
be entered against the Defendant. The Defendant, though yet to respond to that
application, has on 1st November, 2019, filed a Notice of Motion,
application seeking to set aside the suit pursuant to Order 9 rule 8(a) which
provides as follows:<o:p></o:p>“A Defendant may at
any time before filing appearance or if the Defendant has filed a conditional
appearance, within fourteen (14) days, apply to the court for an order to <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:36.0pt;
margin-bottom:8.0pt;margin-left:72.0pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;
text-indent:-36.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2">(a)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
set
aside the writ or service of the writ”.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The
Defendant grounds its application on its contention that the Plaintiff has no
legal or corporate personality to maintain an action in terms of the law and
the Rules of Court. It is the claim of the Defendant that a search conducted at
the Registrar General’s Department revealed that there is no record of the
Plaintiff currently existing and registered as a corporate entity with the
requisite capacity to sue and be sued. The Defendant furthermore alleges that
the Plaintiff has no cause of action at law against the Defendant because both
the sublease and the head lease under which the rights and obligations of the
parties are defined expired with the result that the leasehold reversion is now
vested in the Lands Commission who is now the proper person to deal in all
matters pertaining to the subject matter.<o:p></o:p><</main>