JESUIT FATHERS OF GHANA SOCIETY vs. PATIENCE BELINDA KOFIE, ERIC NII ARYEE MENSAH AND UNKNOWN DEVELOPER [2020]DLCA10039

JESUIT FATHERS OF GHANA SOCIETY vs. PATIENCE BELINDA KOFIE, ERIC NII ARYEE MENS... [2020]DLCA10039

Date	2020-06-25
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO.: H1/253/2018
Citation No.	[2020]DLCA10039

B. F. ACKAH-YENSU JA (PRESIDING)

H. KWOFIE JA

P. B. MENSAH JA

FRANK PANFORD FOR THE PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT

G. S. K. BABANAWO WITH FESTUS ADAMS FOR DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT

[2020]DLCA10039
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >JESUIT FATHERS OF GHANA SOCIETY<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF/APPELLLANT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>PATIENCE BELINDA KOFIE, ERIC NII ARYEE MENSAH AND UNKNOWN
DEVELOPER<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANTS/
RESPONDENTS)<o:p></o:p>[COURT
OF APPEAL, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">

CIVIL APPEAL NO.: H1/253/2018&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; 25TH JUNE, 2020<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>FRANK
PANFORD FOR THE PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">

G. S. K.
BABANAWO WITH FESTUS ADAMS FOR DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT <o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>B. F. ACKAH-YENSU JA (PRESIDING), H. KWOFIE
JA, P. B. MENSAH JA<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top-width: 1.5pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-left: none; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-right: none; padding: 1pt 0cm;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:150%;
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">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>&nbsp;B.
ACKAH-YENSU, JA<o:p></o:p>This appeal arises from the Ruling of
the High Court (Land Division), Accra delivered on 21st March
2018.&nbsp; The circumstances in which our
jurisdiction has been invoked is stated in the Notice of Appeal dated 16th
April 2018 as follows:<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; “Part of the decision of the lower Court
complained of<o:p></o:p>(1)&nbsp;&nbsp;
Order referring the dispute to
mediation and stipulating that the Plaintiff should involve a member of the
Catholic Church not below the rank of a monsignor; and <o:p></o:p>(2)&nbsp;&nbsp;
“Observation” ex cathedra that under
the laws of Ghana, it is legally incompetent to make an “unknown developer” a
defendant in a civil suit”.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;A myriad of grounds were stated therein
for determination.&nbsp; An examination of the
grounds vis-à-vis what the law states
has been so well interrogated by my brother, Bright Mensah, JA that it is
pointless to re-state the position of the law.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;BACKGROUND<o:p></o:p>The Plaintiff/Appellant (to whom I
shall for convenience hereinafter describe as the “Plaintiff”) took out the
writ of summon herein against the Defendants/Respondents (hereinafter
conveniently referred to as the “Defendants”) seeking inter alia; a declaration that the Plaintiff has an “indefeasible and conclusive title” to
the land in dispute; recovery of possession; and damages.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>&nbsp;Upon the failure of the Defendants to
enter appearance, the Plaintiff filed an ex
parte motion for final judgment to be entered against the Defendants.&nbsp; The trial Court consequently entered
Interlocutory Judgment in favour of the Plaintiff for the Plaintiff to prove
its case.&nbsp; The Plaintiff was to file its
Witness Statement within two weeks.&nbsp;
However, before the Plaintiff could do so, the 1st Defendant
filed a Motion on Notice for an Order To Set Aside The Default Judgment.&nbsp; The Registered Trustees of Perez Chapel
International, becoming aware of the suit, also applied to be joined to the
suit.&nbsp; It was when the Parties were in
Court for the 1st Defendant to move its application to set aside the
Interlocutory Judgment that the trial Court (differently constituted) made the
Order that the Parties should go and attempt settlement.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;DETERMINATION
OF APPEAL<o:p></o:p>Even though the instant appeal is
basically a land case, this appeal largely turns on the proper construction to
be placed on Section 72(2) of the Courts Act, 1993 (Act 459).&nbsp; The questions that arise for determination
are two-fold, namely: (i) whether the order by the trial Judge requiring the
Parties to seek an amicable settlement under the Court’s Act should be set
aside either because (a) she acted without jurisdiction or, (b) was a wrongful
exercise of judicial discretion under Article 296(b) of the Constitution; or
(ii) whether an order should be made by this Court for final judgment to be
entered in favour of the Plaintiff as the registered title holder of two
parcels of land purchased for valuable consideration in 2000 and registered under
the Land Title Registration Act, 1986 (PNDCL 152).<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;For purposes of this Judgment, I shall
limit myself to the issue regarding the order by the trial Judge for the
Parties to attempt an amicable settlement out of court.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;It is settled law that where a
defendant has been served with a statement of claim but fails to file
appearance or files appearance but fails to deliver a defence, the claimant
can, after the expiration of time for a defence to be filed, apply for judgment
in default of appearance or defence against the defendant.&nbsp; To obtain judgment in default of appearance,
the claimant must either; file a motion supported by an affidavit proving due
service of the wr</main>