ADDO KWAATA AND MR ANGLO ALIAS CHAIRMAN vs. DORA OYE BAMFO [2020]DLCA8576

Date	2020-01-26
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO.: H1/27/2019
Citation No.	[2020]DLCA8576

M. M. AGYEMANG (MRS.) JA (PRESIDING)

A. B. POKU-ACHEAMPONG JA

M. A. WOOD (MRS.) JA

ISSAC OWUSU ANSAH FOR DEFENDANT / RESPONDENT / APPELLANT.

FRANK DONKOR FOR PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT/RESPONDENT

[2020]DLCA8576
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >ADDO KWAATA AND MR ANGLO ALIAS CHAIRMAN<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANTS
/ APPELLANTS)<o:p></o:p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B0F0;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">vs.<o:p></o:p>DORA OYE BAMFO<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF/
RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>[COURT OF APPEAL,
KOFORIDUA]<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">

CIVIL APPEAL NO.: H1/27/2019&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; &nbsp;&nbsp;DATE: 26TH JAN, 2020<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>ISSAC OWUSU ANSAH FOR DEFENDANT / RESPONDENT / APPELLANT.<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">

FRANK DONKOR FOR
PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT/RESPONDENT.<o:p></o:p>

</div><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:107%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">CORAM:<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">

&nbsp;M. M. AGYEMANG (MRS.) JA (PRESIDING), A. B.
POKU-ACHEAMPONG JA, M. A. WOOD (MRS.) JA <o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</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" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>AGYEMANG (MRS.),
J.A.<o:p></o:p>In this appeal against the judgment of the High
Court, Koforidua delivered on 24th October 2016, the defendants/appellants
herein seek a setting aside of the said judgment and the entry of judgment for
the defendants/appellants (hereafter referred to alternately as the appellants,
or the defendants).<o:p></o:p>The matters antecedent to the instant appeal are as
follows:<o:p></o:p>Before the District Court Kwabeng, a court of
summary jurisdiction, the plaintiff/respondent (hereafter referred to as the
respondent, or the plaintiff) sued out a writ of summons against the defendants
herein. In the claim indorsed on the application for the writ of summons to
issue, the plaintiff sought the following:<o:p></o:p>“1. (An) Order of
the court to compel the 1st Defendant to share the cocoa farm at
“Adahomaso” into “Abunu” basis before any purported sale or transfer by the 1st
Defendant.<o:p></o:p>2. (A) Declaration
that any purported sale, transfer, mortgage, etc. of the said property by the 1st
Defendant to the 2nd Defendant should be declare [sic] null and void
and of no legal effect since the 1st Defendant has no power,
authority, etc. to effect such transaction or sale in respect of the property
in dispute”<o:p></o:p>Notwithstanding the fact that no order was made for
pleadings as per Order 18 of the District Court Rules CI 59, the plaintiff accompanied
her particulars of claim with a ‘statement of claim’. These were the matters
she alleged in her “statement of claim”: that for nine years, she had made a
farm on land her late father gave her to cultivate. The said land, she averred,
belonged to &nbsp;what she described as “the
family” and that this family, led by one Comfort Korang, had since the death of
her father, permitted her to plant cocoa on the land on “abunu basis”. It was
her complaint that this cocoa farm, first defendant had purportedly sold to the
second defendant. As aforesaid, the particulars of her claim on the writ of
summons, sought a share of the said farm on abunu basis.<o:p></o:p>The defendants filed no process in answer to the plaintiff’s
‘statement of claim’, and the court which made no order for pleadings, did not
require them to file one. The suit was apparently headed for a summary trial.<o:p></o:p>Hearing commenced, and the plaintiff testified that
she had worked on the land in dispute with her father and continued thereat
after his death. She alleged
that while she remained on the land, the head of her father’s family summoned
her before the Asunafo chief’s palace, and that an arbitration that went in her
favour was held. <o:p></o:p>That the plaintiff was summoned before the chief in
respect of the disputed land, and that an arbitration was allegedly held, was
the subject of the evidence of PW1 who alleged himself to be the Abusuapanyin
(head of family) at the Asunafo chief’s palace. It was however his evidence
that the said proceedings was between the plaintiff and one Akosua Donkor who
alleged that she was a sister to the plaintiff’s deceased father.<o:p></o:p></sp</main>