MR. SENTI MICHAEL vs. REV. FATHER MON KWAME AND DR. ASOMAH [2020]DLSC9914

Date	2020-11-04
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. J4/51/2019
Citation No.	[2020]DLSC9914

YEBOAH CJ (PRESIDING)

BAFFOE-BONNIE JSC

MARFUL-SAU JSC

AMEGATCHER JSC

TORKORNOO (MRS.) JSC

ALEXANDER AMPONSAH FOR THE PLAINTIFF/REPONDENT/RESPONDENT

ALFRED TUAH-YEBOAH FOR THE DEFENDANTS/APPELLANTS/APPELLANTS

[2020]DLSC9914
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><a name="_Hlk35510717">MR. SENTI MICHAEL&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p></a>&nbsp;(PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>REV.
FATHER MON KWAME AND DR. ASOMAH (CHAIRMAN OF POLYTECHNIC COUNCIL)<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;(DEFENDANTS/APPELLANTS/APPELLANTS)<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</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: 0in 0in 1pt;">

CIVIL APPEAL NO. J4/51/2019&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;DATE: 4TH NOVEMBER, 2020<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>ALEXANDER
AMPONSAH FOR THE PLAINTIFF/REPONDENT/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: 0in 0in 1pt;">

ALFRED
TUAH-YEBOAH FOR THE DEFENDANTS/APPELLANTS/APPELLANTS.<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>YEBOAH, CJ (PRESIDING),
BAFFOE-BONNIE, JSC, MARFUL-SAU, JSC, AMEGATCHER, JSC, TORKORNOO (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 0in;">

<p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:
150%;tab-stops:147.0pt;border:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0in 1.0pt 0in">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>AMEGATCHER,
JSC:-<o:p></o:p>The
appellants Rev. Father Mon Kwame and Dr. Isaac Asomah are the named Executors in
the Will of the late Thomas Asante Senti; also known in his lifetime as Nana
Senti by reason of a chieftaincy title he held as the then Tufuhene of Techimantia.
The appellants are in this court because they have appealed against the
judgment of the Court of Appeal sitting at Kumasi dated 22nd May,
2018. What then are the facts leading to this appeal?<o:p></o:p>FACTS:<o:p></o:p>Thomas
Asante Senti died in Sunyani on 25th February, 2013. After his
death, his Will was read at the High Court, Sunyani. His oldest son and plaintiff/respondent/respondent
to this action entered a caveat against the Will. <o:p></o:p>After complying
with the necessary processes under Order 66 of the High Court Civil Procedure
rules C.I. 47, the respondent, qualified as a person who has or claims
to have an interest in the estate of the deceased testator, invoked his rights
under Order 66 rule 28 and instituted an action at the High Court, Sunyani against
the executors to have the Will declared invalid. <o:p></o:p>The
case of the respondent is that the testator in his lifetime held a Higher National
Diploma Certificate in Dispensing Technology. He was very diligent and
meticulous in all transactions with a high sense of clarity in all his
documents. However, when he perused the purported Will, he noticed that it
lacked clarity of expression which was contrary to the values of his father. This
according to the respondent was the basis for the failure of the testator to
give the exact description of his self-acquired properties such as his building
plots, the registration numbers of his vehicles, names of banks he held
accounts with and the account numbers. Apart from these, the respondent avers
that the testator on the date he was alleged to have executed the purported
Will, he was seriously sick and bedridden and could not validly make a Will. The
respondent on these facts concluded that the purported Will was not the act and
deed of his father and was procured by fraud so should be declared null and
void.<o:p></o:p>After
a full trial in which seven witnesses testified, the learned trial judge, John
Bosco Nabarese J delivered his judgment on 21st July, 2015 in favour
of the respondent. He declared the Will a forgery, null and void and set it
aside. The appellants appealed to the Court of Appeal which on 22nd
May, 2018 unanimously dismissed the appeal and confirmed the judgment of the
trial court. It is from the judgment of the Court of Appeal that the appellants
have exercised their right to have a second bite at the cherry by appealing to
this court.<o:p></o:p>GROUNDS OF APPEAL: <o:p></o:p>The
appellants filed four main grounds of appeal. They are:<o:p></o:p>a)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The judgment is against the weight of
evidence.<o:p></o:p>b)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Court of Appeal erred when it held
that the late Thomas Senti was unduly influenced by Angelina Bommo in execut</main>