EVADOX COMPANY LIMITED AND EVANS ASIEDU AIKINS vs. FBN BANK GHANA LIMITED [2020]DLHC8945

Date	2020-01-30
Suit No.	SUIT NO: CM/BDC/0431/2019
Citation No.	[2020]DLHC8945

HER LADYSHIP JUSTICE JENNIFER ABENA DADZIE

AURELIUS AWUKU ESQ. OF ZOE AKYEA & CO. ADEHYE CHAMBERS ACCRA COUNSEL FOR PLAINTIFFS/RESPONDENTS

RICHMOND NUMBO SAAKA ESQ. OF S&S LEGAL OSU ACCRA COUNSEL FOR DEFENDANT/APPLICANT

[2020]DLHC8945
																																						<div class="restriction-wrapper">
														<div class="container-lg">
															<div class="row">
																<div class="col-md-12 restricted-content">
																	<div class="restricted-content-img-wrapper">
																		<div class="lock-icon bounce-7">
																			<img class=""
																				src="https://www.dennislawgh.com/dl-assets/dl-images/lock-content.png"
																				alt="Subscription based content">
																		</div>
																	</div>
																	 
																		<a href="https://www.dennislawgh.com/login"
																		class="btn btn-primary btn-lg"
																		style="font-family: 'open sans'; text-transform: capitalize; border-radius: 8px"> 
																		Login to Read Full Case </a>
																	 
																	
																</div>
															</div>
														</div>
													</div>
													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >EVADOX COMPANY LIMITED
AND EVANS ASIEDU AIKINS<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFFS/RESPONDENTS)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>FBN BANK GHANA LIMITED<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANTS/APPLICANTS)<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;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

<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: CM/BDC/0431/2019&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;DATE: 30TH JANUARY, 2020<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>AURELIUS
AWUKU, ESQ., OF ZOE, AKYEA &amp; CO., ADEHYE CHAMBERS, ACCRA, COUNSEL FOR
PLAINTIFFS/RESPONDENTS<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;margin-left:0cm;margin-right:-36.0pt">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">RICHMOND NUMBO SAAKA, ESQ., OF S&amp;S
LEGAL, OSU, ACCRA, COUNSEL FOR DEFENDANT/APPLICANT<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:<o:p></o:p>HER
LADYSHIP JUSTICE JENNIFER ABENA DADZIE<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border-top:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
border-left:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;border-right:none;
padding:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

<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>On February 15,
2019, the Plaintiffs/Respondents, hereinafter referred to as “Plaintiffs”, caused
a writ of summons and an accompanying statement of claim with Suit Number CM/BDC/0431/2019 to
be issued against the Defendant/Applicant, also referred to hereafter as “Defendant”
claiming the reliefs endorsed on the writ of summons as reliefs (a) to (k),
seeking among others, declaratory reliefs, damages and other reliefs relating
to the business assets of the Plaintiffs to include the property of the 2nd
Plaintiff located at Adeiso.<o:p></o:p>The Defendant
caused a conditional appearance to be entered on its behalf by counsel on March
5, 2019.&nbsp; Thereafter, on April 17, 2019, without
taking any steps as required by having entered conditional appearance, the
Defendant filed its statement of defence and counterclaim.&nbsp; Per its counterclaim, the Defendant sought to
recover certain sums of money advanced to the Plaintiffs and accrued interest thereon
or in the alternative, an order for the judicial sale of certain named business
assets of the Plaintiffs including the said property belonging to the 2nd
Plaintiff.&nbsp; The Plaintiffs duly replied
to the statement of defence and counterclaim on May 24, 2019.<o:p></o:p>After the close
of pleadings, the Defendant has brought this present motion for an Order for a
warrant to realise and/or take possession of the Plaintiffs’ properties
pursuant to sections 33 and 34(2) of the
Borrowers and Lenders Act, 2008 (Act 773) and Order 19 rule 1 of the High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2004 (CI 47).<o:p></o:p>It is in
respect of this motion that the counsel for Plaintiffs has raised the present
preliminary legal objection on the grounds that the originating process filed
by the Defendant on June 17, 2019 is an abuse of the judicial process and a
breach of the rules of court procedure and should be dismissed in limine.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>Upon due
consideration being given to the written addresses filed by counsel for both
parties pursuant to the orders of this court, the case law and the authorities,
the court is minded to agree with the grounds for the legal objection raised by
the Plaintiffs against the present application. <o:p></o:p>The present application
is filed pursuant to the provisions of Act
773, which does not provide the manner in which a party may seek redress in
court for any of the reliefs afforded it under its provisions.&nbsp; That is why the Applicant, in my opinion came
under Order 19 rule 1(2) of the CI 47,
which provides generally for the basis of such applications. The present motion
is therefore an originating motion seeking to commence an entirely new
proceeding over the same property or properties of the Plaintiffs in respect of
which they initiated the action in Suit
Number CM/BDC/0431/2019 by writ of summons, which action is still pending
before this court.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>To my mind, if
this court were to proceed with determining the present application, it would
have the effect of making pronouncements or rendering a decision which will
directly have a bearing on the pending Suit
Number CM/BDC/0431/2019. The fact of Suit Number CM/BDC/0431/2019, being a matter under prior
judicial consideration, raises issues of res sub-judice, which
principle, essentially serves to bar the trial of a subsequent suit in which the
matter in issue is also directly and substantially the same as in the existing
suit between the same parties, to effectively prevent the situation where the
outcome of the disposition of both actions </main>