[2020]DLSC8797 Login to Read Full Case <span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;color:#00B0F0">OGYEEDOM OBRANU KWESI ATTA VI <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">(PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;color:#00B0F0">vs.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;color:#00B0F0">GHANA TELECOMMUNICATIONS CO. LTD.</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;color:#00B0F0; mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> </span><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">(1<sup>ST</sup> DEFENDANT/APPELLANT/APPLICANT) </span></i><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;color:#00B0F0">AND LANDS COMMISSION</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;color:#00B0F0;mso-bidi-font-weight: bold"> </span><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">(2<sup>ND</sup> DEFENDANT)</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:normal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">[SUPREME COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;border:none; mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma">CIVIL MOTION NO. J8/131/2019 DATE: 28<sup>TH</sup> APRIL, 2020<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;line-height:normal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma">COUNSEL: <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;line-height:normal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">ACE ANKOMAH WITH HIM SHIRLEY OTU AND GLORIA COFFIE FOR THE </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma">APPLICANT. <o:p></o:p></span></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" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;line-height:normal;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">KWASI AFRIFA LED BY JOSEPH SAM FOR THE </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma">RESPONDENT.<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma">CORAM: <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma">YEBOAH CJ (PRESIDING), DOTSE JSC, GBADEGBE JSC, APPAU JSC, PWAMANG JSC, MARFUL-SAU JSC, KOTEY JSC <o:p></o:p></span></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="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"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma">RULING<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> </div><p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">GBADEGBE, JSC: -</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma">On April 28, we allowed the application for stay of execution in the matter herein, but reserved our reasons, which we now proceed to provide as follows. For reasons of convenience, in these proceedings, the parties will be referred to simply as the applicant and respondent. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma">We have before us an application for stay of execution of the judgment of the Court of Appeal which dismissed the appeal of the applicant from a decision of the High Court by which it was ordered to pay to the respondent by way of damages USD16,009,920.00. The circumstances under which the application herein is brought before us may be stated briefly as follows. The respondent initiated a claim before the High Court, Agona Swedru for certain reliefs which were based upon the applicant’s alleged unlawful acts of encroachment upon a piece or parcel of land belonging to the respondent’s family and the erection of a telecommunication tower or mast thereon. The action went to through a mixed trial at the end of which the learned trial judge delivered a judgment that accepted the respondent’s version of the matter and awarded damages against the applicant in the amount mentioned in the preceding paragraph of this ruling. A repeat application for stay of execution from the said judgment was granted by the Court of Appeal on November 07, 2017 requiring the applicant to pay 30% of the judgment debt. The applicant complied with the order of stay of execution and on January 22, 2018 paid the cedi equivalent in the sum of GHS21,215,040.00 into court, the said sum having been since released to the respondent. The Court of Appeal inquired into the appeal and dismissed it on May 29, 2019. The applicant then filed an appeal to this court from the said judgment on June 11, 2019 and a day thereafter filed an application for stay of execution pending appeal to the Court of Appeal. The application was granted on terms, which applicant deemed a refusal, hence the repeat application before us under Rule 20 of the Supreme Court Rules, CI 16. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma">The application has been vehemently resisted by the respondent who contended primarily that since the Court of Appeal’s decision was a judgment of dismissal of the appeal, it did not make any executable order that can be enforced by a writ of execution, the application was incompetent. In so contending, the applicant relied on previous decisions of this court that where the Court of Appeal merely dismissed an appeal, then no executory order is made that could be stayed by an application for stay of execution. In this regard, the respondent referred to among others, <i>Ghana Football Association v Apaade Lodge Ltd</i> [2009] SCGLR 100 and <i>Anang v Sowah</i> [2009] SCGLR, 111. A careful examination of these cases reveals that although <i>Eboe v Eboe</i> [1961] GLR 432 is a pre-1992 decision, the declaratory principle continues to be applied to cases which come before the Supreme Court subsequent to the coming into force of the Constitution dealing with applications for stay of execution pending appeals. It needs to be said that in the <i>Apaade</i> case, the situation before the Supreme Court was different from that now before us as in the instant case, the judgment of the court is directly under attack by way of an appeal while in that case, the appeal was from a collateral attack on the judgment. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma">As the said decisions were pronounced by this court, they are in principle binding upon us by virtue of article 129(3) of the Constitution of 1992 which provides thus: <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:36.0pt;margin-bottom: 0cm;margin-left:36.0pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify"><span lang="E