THE REPUBLIC vs. NII KWAO OBUABASA II, HARRIET AKWELEY QUAO & 6 ORS [2020]DLCA9348

Date	2020-05-07
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL SUIT NO.: H1/113/19
Citation No.	[2020]DLCA9348

P. K. GYAESAYOR JA (PRESIDING)

I. O. T. AMADU JA

G. S. SUUBEREEH JA

ALBERT ADARE FOR APPELLANT

MUNIRU KESSIM FOR 1ST -4TH 6TH & 7TH RESPONDENT

[2020]DLCA9348
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>NII KWAO OBUABASA II <o:p></o:p>(APPLICANT/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>HARRIET
AKWELEY QUAO &amp; 6 ORS <o:p></o:p>(RESPONDENTS/RESPONDENTS)<o:p></o:p>[COURT
OF APPEAL, ACCRA]<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="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:
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mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">CIVIL
APPEAL SUIT NO.: H1/113/19&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:
7TH MAY, 2020<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL<o:p></o:p>ALBERT
ADARE FOR APPELLANT<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
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solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">MUNIRU
KESSIM FOR 1ST -4TH, 6TH &amp; 7TH
RESPONDENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>P. K. GYAESAYOR JA (PRESIDING), I. O. T.
AMADU JA, G. S. SUUBEREEH JA<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="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
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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><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>GYAESAYOR, JA<o:p></o:p>The
appellant/applicant in this appeal describes himself as the Mantse (Chief) of
Kwabenya in the Greater Accra Region.&nbsp;
His appeal is against the ruling of the High Court, Accra dated 23rd
October, 2018.<o:p></o:p>In
that ruling, the High Court dismissed a contempt application brought by him to
have the respondents punished for acts which he said amounted to contempt.<o:p></o:p>He
premised his claim on the fact that the respondents wilfully and intentionally
disobeyed the orders of injunction placed on them by the judicial committee of
the Greater Accra Traditional Council on 5th February 1982 and in
1994 in the case of a default judgment in the case of Numo Ayittey Cobblah
&amp; Ors vrs. Ayittey Abofu II and other.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>It
is the case of the applicant/appellant (hereinafter called applicant) that the
respondents are aware of his installation as Kwabenya Mantse following the
publication of that fact in the Ghanaian Times i.e. exhibit ‘G’ and also in the
local government bulletin.&nbsp; In spite of
this notification according to applicant, the respondent defied the orders of
the judicial bodies and installed the 1st respondent as Manye (Queen
mother of Kwabenya) and who continues to parade herself as such.&nbsp; To the applicant, the conduct of respondents’
amount to contempt and therefore wanted the court to punish them.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The
respondent on the other hand challenges the assertions of applicant and resisted
the charge of contempt filed called against them.&nbsp; They are challenging the claim of applicant
to be chief of Kwabenya.&nbsp; They exhibited
letters being replies from the Ga Traditional Council, the Greater Accra
Traditional Council and the National House of Chief which all denied that they
have records to show that applicant had ever been installed as chief of
Kwabenya. &nbsp;In effect they are denying
that the applicant appears in their records as chief.&nbsp; These are marked as exhibit 1, 1A and 2.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>In
1993, the then secretary of chieftaincy affairs Nana Akuoku Sarpong wrote that
the insertion of applicant’s name in the local government bulletin as the chief
of Kwabenya was a mistake having been misled by misinformation and a mistaken
belief. The depositions in support of the inclusion of applicants was withdrawn
and that document in the view of this court is dead and buried and of no value
and does not support the claim of the applicant, that he is the duly accepted
chief of Kwabenya.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>Further,
the respondent averred that the judgment of the Ga Traditional Council was
subject of an arbitration by the Gbese division and which concluded that the applicant’s
family holds the position of Wulomo and the respondents holds the position of
Kwabenya Mantse.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>This
was the state of affairs when the installation of the 1st respondent
took place.&nbsp; For various reasons stated
in her judgment the High Court declined to grant the prayer of the applicant
and acquitted the respondent of the charge of contempt which is quasi
criminal.&nbsp; This was on 23rd</</main>