THE REPUBLIC vs. HIGH COURT, WA EX-PARTE OFFICIAL LIQUIDATOR DKM DIAMOND MICROFINANCE LTD, MOGTARI ABDUL RAHAMAN & 11 OTHERS [2020]DLSC10084

THE REPUBLIC vs. HIGH COURT, WA EX-PARTE OFFICIAL LIQUIDATOR DKM DIAMOND MICROF... [2020]DLSC10084

Date	2020-11-25
Suit No.	CIVIL MOTION NO. J5/52/2020
Citation No.	[2020]DLSC10084

DOTSE JSC (PRESIDING)

MARFUL-SAU JSC

AMEGATCHER JSC

LOVELACE-JOHNSON (MS) JSC

PROF. MENSA-BONSU (MRS) JSC

GEORGE KOFI BEKAI FOR THE APPLICANT.

ISAAC BORRIDO FOR THE INTERESTED PARTIES/RESPONDENTS

[2020]DLSC10084
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>(RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>HIGH COURT, WA<o:p></o:p>(RESPONDENT/ APPLICANT/ INTERESTED PARTIES)<o:p></o:p>EX-PARTE OFFICIAL LIQUIDATOR DKM
DIAMOND MICROFINANCE LTD, MOGTARI ABDUL RAHAMAN &amp; 11 OTHERS<o:p></o:p>[SUPREME 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;">

<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">CIVIL
MOTION NO. J5/52/2020&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:
25TH NOVEMBER, 2020<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>GEORGE KOFI BEKAI FOR THE APPLICANT.<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;">

<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">ISAAC BORRIDO FOR THE INTERESTED
PARTIES/RESPONDENTS.<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;<o:p></o:p>DOTSE JSC (PRESIDING), MARFUL-SAU JSC, AMEGATCHER
JSC, LOVELACE-JOHNSON (MS) JSC, PROF. MENSA-BONSU (MRS) JSC<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="margin-bottom:6.0pt;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><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;mso-ansi-language:
EN-GB;mso-bidi-font-style:italic">MARFUL-SAU, JSC<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;mso-ansi-language:
EN-GB;mso-bidi-font-style:italic">:- <o:p></o:p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;mso-ansi-language:
EN-GB;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold;mso-bidi-font-style:italic">The applicant
herein who is the Official Liquidator of DKM Diamond Microfinance Ltd prayed
this Court for an order of certiorari directed at the High Court, Wa presided
over by His Lordship Justice Kwasi Boakye, to quash the ruling of that court
dated the 7th of July 2020 in suit number UW/WA/HC/E2/23/2020. In
that suit the interested parties herein had applied for leave to issue a writ
of summons against the applicant herein. The High Court granted the application
for the interested parties to issue a writ of summons against the applicant. It
is the order granting leave to the interested parties to issue the writ of
summons that has become the subject of this application. On the 25th
November, 2020, this Court by a unanimous decision dismissed the application
for certiorari by the Official Liquidator and reserved its reasons which we
hereby deliver.<o:p></o:p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;mso-ansi-language:
EN-GB;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold;mso-bidi-font-style:italic">The brief facts of
the case are that on the 1st of March 2016 the Bank of Ghana,
revoked the licence of DKM Diamond Microfinance Ltd under section 68 (1) of
Banking Act 2004, Act 673, and the applicant was appointed the Liquidator of
the company. The applicant subsequently ordered the liquidation of the company
under section 1(1) (b) of then Bodies Corporate (Official Liquidation) Act,
1963 (Act 180), which is now section 81(1) (b) of the Corporate Restructuring
and Insolvency Act, 2020 (Act 1015). The applicant published in the national
dailies a Press Release informing the interested parties to submit their proof
of debts. The interested parties who were paid portions of their claim, later
filed an application in the Registry of the High Court, Wa, for leave to issue
a writ of summons against the Official Liquidator. The High Court, Wa, granted
the interested parties leave to issue the writ of summons on 7th
July 2020.This is the order applicant sought to quash by certiorari.<o:p></o:p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;mso-ansi-language:
EN-GB;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold;mso-bidi-font-style:italic">The applicant
formulated one ground for the application, which was that the learned justice
of the High Court, Wa committed error of law apparent on the face of the record
which goes to jurisdiction when he granted the interested parties leave to
issue a writ against the Official Liquidator of DKM Diamond Microfinance Ltd.
The issue we need to resolve in this case is whether the High Court, Wa, erred
when it granted leave to the interested parties to issue a writ of summons
against the applicant herein?<o:p></o:p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;mso-ansi-language:
EN-GB;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold;mso-bidi-font-style:italic">Now, reading the
ruling of the High Court, Wa, it is clear that the interested parties herein
brought their application for leave under section 93 of the new Corporate
Restructuring and Insolvency Act 2020, Act 1015, which provides as follows:-<o:p></o:p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;mso-bidi-font-style:italic">‘’ A person shall not on
the commencement of a winding up proceed with or commence an action or civil
proceedings against the company other than proceedings by a secured creditor
for the realization of the security of that secured creditor except:<o:p></o:p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;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;mso-bidi-font-style:italic">a)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;mso-ansi-language:
EN-GB;mso-bidi-font-style:italic">By leave of the Court and<o:p></o:p>