ATTA MENDS vs. TAKORADI TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY [2019]DLHC9236

Date	2019-11-28
Suit No.	SUIT NO. OCC. 30/201
Citation No.	[2019]DLHC9236

JUSTICE P. BRIGHT MENSAH

D.A. OTOO FOR THE PLAINTIFF

SAMUEL ADINKRAH FOR THE DEFENDANT

[2019]DLHC9236
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >ATTA MENDS<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>TAKORADI TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT)<o:p></o:p>[HIGH
COURT (COMMERCIAL DIVISION), SEKONDI]<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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SUIT NO. OCC.&nbsp; 30/201&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: 28TH NOVEMBER 2019<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>D.A. OTOO FOR THE PLAINTIFF<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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SAMUEL ADINKRAH FOR THE DEFENDANT<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>JUSTICE P. BRIGHT MENSAH<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>Per a writ of summons issued in the
registry of this court on 22/01/2014, the plaintiff claims against the
defendant, the reliefs set out hereunder:<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>1&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
&nbsp;Payment of Ghc10,274.00 as the remaining cost
of the project<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;cost of Ghc18,919.00;<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>2.&nbsp;&nbsp; interest on the said amount at the current
bank rate till the date<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; of payment;<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>3.&nbsp;&nbsp; costs.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>It was pleaded in the statement of
claim accompanying the writ that sometime in or about January 2011, the
plaintiff had a telephone call from a Oppong Mensah of Takoradi Polytechnic
inviting him to his office. &nbsp;The said Oppong
Mensah was the Development Officer of Takoradi Polytechnic at the time.&nbsp; Takoradi Polytechnic has since graduated into
a full-fledged university and is now known and called Takoradi Technical
University.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>It is the case of the plaintiff that
when he responded to Oppong Mensah’s call, he was informed that he had won a
contract to undertake a project of landscaping and gardening works at the
Applied Arts Block of the university.&nbsp; He
was then shown a site plan to work with and Oppong-Mensah explained to him the
details of the work he (plaintiff) was required to do.&nbsp; He was tasked to study the site plan and
submit an estimate to the institution for which he did accordingly.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>Furthermore, it is the case of the
plaintiff that he submitted an estimate for the job totalling Ghc18,919.00 and
as he lacked the financial capacity to undertake it all by himself, the said
Oppong Mdnsah promised to assist him by writing a letter introducing the
plaintiff to the National Investment Bank, for a loan.&nbsp; Upon completion of the job on or about
13/10/2011, he was paid Ghc8,645.00 leaving Ghc10,274.00, the subject matter of
the instant suit.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>In response to, and in denial of the
plaintiff’s claim, the defendant has maintained that no contract was awarded to
the plaintiff.&nbsp; It is their case that the
alleged contract was rather a subcontract executed between the plaintiff and
OFKOS company.&nbsp; According to the
defendants, it was the main contractor that built the School of Applied Art
building that rather paid the plaintiff Ghc8,645.00 leaving the balance, the
subject matter of this suit. They claim that the letter of introduction by
Oppong Mensah was not because the plaintiff has been awarded any contract but
because he wanted the expeditious completion of the work.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;Issues:<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>At the close of pleadings, the lawyer
for the plaintiff raised the following issues for trial:<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;whether or not there was a contract between
the plaintiff and <o:p></o:p>&nbsp;the defendant university through Oppong
Mensah, the then<o:p></o:p>