LARCUS FORT HOTEL LTD vs. AVE MARIA HOLDING LTD AND PRUDENTIAL BANK LTD [2020]DLHC9971

Date	2020-11-12
Suit No.	SUIT NO.: CM/BDC/0435/2020
Citation No.	[2020]DLHC9971

HIS LORDSHIP JUSTICE YAW DARKO ASARE

KWABENA ADU KUSI FOR THE 1ST DEFENDANT/COUNTERCLAIM/APPLICANT

ALBERTA DARTEY FOR THE 2ND DEFENDANT TO COUNTERCLAIM/RESPONDENT

JOE OFORI FOR THE PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT

[2020]DLHC9971
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >LARCUS FORT HOTEL LTD<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>AVE MARIA HOLDING LTD AND PRUDENTIAL BANK LTD<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANTS)<o:p></o:p>[HIGH COURT, 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;">

SUIT NO.: CM/BDC/0435/2020&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;DATE:
12TH NOVEMBER, 2020<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>KWABENA ADU KUSI FOR THE 1ST
DEFENDANT/COUNTERCLAIM/APPLICANT&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>ALBERTA DARTEY FOR THE 2ND DEFENDANT TO
COUNTERCLAIM/RESPONDENT <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;">

JOE OFORI FOR THE PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:<o:p></o:p>HIS LORDSHIP JUSTICE YAW DARKO ASARE<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="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;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>&nbsp;In the recent
case of <span style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">John Bobie v 21 Century Constructions
Ltd &amp; 7 Ors<span style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">, Civil
Appeal No. J4/5/2014&nbsp;dated&nbsp;9th
&nbsp;March&nbsp; 2016, the Supreme
Court speaking through Pwamang JSC, decried the growing phenomenon creeping into our civil jurisprudence
whereby litigants imprudently employ fraud as
an engine to impeach previous judgments of courts of co-ordinate jurisdiction. In
the words of the eminent jurist:-<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;“There is a tendency by litigants to use the
cover of allegation of fraud against a judgment to get a court of co-ordinate
jurisdiction to question the validity of a judgment of a sister court but the
courts have to be firm in disallowing that course of proceeding.” <o:p></o:p>&nbsp;<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 15pt; text-align: justify; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">The above pronouncement, in my humble view, is
without doubt the product of sound juridical wisdom, from which, I would not
for my part, sanction any departure.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>FACTS<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 15pt; text-align: justify; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">The facts giving rise to this instant application
are not difficult to fathom. On the 29th day of January 2020, the
Plaintiff herein issued the instant writ of summons against the Defendant
claiming a number of reliefs including specific performance of the sale
agreement for the purchase of the Plaintiff’s hotel, the disputed property
herein, interest on the outstanding balance of the purchase price, and rental
value of the hotel assessed at $40,000.00 per month; Plaintiff also prayed for
a number of alternative reliefs, including general damages, immediate vacation
of the hotel, dismantling of signposts, restoration of certain assets to their
original state, and immediate possession of the hotel by the Plaintiff.&nbsp; &nbsp;<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 15pt; text-align: justify; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">The Plaintiff’s claim was supported by a 29
paragraphed Statement of Claim, which in essence set out the circumstances by
which the Defendant had acted in wanton breach of a contract for the purchase
of the Plaintiff’s hotel by neglecting to settle the full purchase price
thereof, thereby rendering the hotel liable to be sold by Prudential Bank in
satisfaction of a loan facility secured with a mortgage over the hotel. <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 15pt; text-align: justify; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">On the 20th day of February 2020, the
Defendant filed a Statement of Defence by which it essentially denied the
averments in the Plaintiff’s Statement of Claim, averring rather that by
submitting to a consent judgment in a previous suit no. CM/BFS/1112/2019, in
another Court of co-ordinate jurisdiction, instituted by Prudential Bank
against the Plaintiff for recovery of the balance of the loan facility secured
by the mortgage over the hotel, the Plaintiff and Prudential Bank had fraudulently
“…frustrated the agreement that exists
between the Plaintiff and the Defendant and h</main>