[2021]DLCA10775 Login to Read Full Case <span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; color:#00B0F0">ERIC TETTEH KWEI<u><o:p></o:p></u></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; color:#00B0F0">(SUING FOR HIMSELF AND ON BEHALF OF NII AMARTEY KOTIE FAMILY OF TESHIE)<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">(PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; color:#00B0F0">vs.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; color:#00B0F0">AMARKAI AMARTEIFIO<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">(DEFENDANT/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">[COURT OF APPEAL, KOFORIDUA]<o:p></o:p></span></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="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"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">SUIT NO. HI/21/2021 DATE: 5<sup>TH</sup> MAY 2021<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">KWADWO ADDEAH SAFO ESQ. FOR THE PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT<o:p></o:p></span></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="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"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">CHRISTIAN BRUCE-ASHIRIFIE ESQ. FOR THE 1<sup>ST</sup> DEFENDANT/APPELLANT <o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">CORAM: <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">CECILIA H. SOWAH JA (PRESIDING), ANTHONY OPPONG JA, ANGELINA MENSAH HOMIAH JA<o:p></o:p></span></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="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"><b><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><b><u><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">ANTHONY OPPONG, JA<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">This is an interlocutory appeal against the ruling of the High Court dismissing the application for injunction filed at the High Court by the defendant/appellant (to be referred to as appellant hereafter). The ruling of the High Court dated 27<sup>th</sup> July 2020 against which this appeal was filed is at pages 294-296 of the record of appeal.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">Before proceeding any further, it will not be inapposite to state the respective cases of the plaintiff/respondent (to be referred to as respondent hereafter) and appellant as gleaned from the pleadings and the affidavits.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">Respondent claims that his family, Nii Amartey Kotie family of Teshie, has occupied the disputed land since 1913 when the 25.510 acre land was acquired from the Oyoko family of Gyankama.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">According to Respondent, as a result of undue interference with the family land coupled with the role the Lands Commission was playing to the detriment of the family’s interest in the land, the family initiated an action at the High Court, Koforidua in 2008. That suit was titled <i>Eric Tetteh Kwei vrs. Lands Commission & Others.</i> The objective of the action was to recover the family land. While the said case was pending, the appellant applied and was joined to the suit on grounds that he had interest in 6.39 acres of the 25.510 acre land. However, for reasons not apparent on the face of the record, the appellant abandoned the suit and rather filed a fresh one at the Circuit Court, Akropong against certain persons other than or excluding the respondent in respect of the 6.39 acre land appellant claimed. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">Interestingly, the appellant obtained judgment against those defendants he sued, allegedly, on the blind side of respondent. Nevertheless, the appellant sought to enforce the judgment obtained at the Circuit Court, Akropong against the defendants in that suit and respondent family. The expected resistance put forth by the respondent’s family culminated in the action respondent filed at the High Court seeking not only to set aside the judgment of the circuit court but also to vindicate the family’s title to the 6.39 acre land, among other reliefs. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">It may have to be mentioned that because the registrar was playing his legitimate statutory duties in the attempt to enforce the judgment, the respondent in instituting the suit at the High Court against appellant added the registrar as the 2<sup>nd</sup> defendant and sought as against the registrar an order to restrain him “f<i>rom taking any further step to execute the afore-mentioned judgment on any portion of the disputed land or any property (being it landed or otherwise) located on the disputed land”<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">Following the institution of the respondent’s action at the High Court, he filed an application to <i>“restrain the defendants, their servants, agents, assigns, privies, successors, contractors, workmen and all those claiming through them from alienating, entering or developing any portion of the plaintiff’s family land or property (being it landed, movable or immovable) and demolishing any property (being it landed, movable and immovable) on plaintiff’s family land until the final determination of this suit”</i><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">To the action that respondent instituted in the trial high court, appellant entered appearance and filed a statement of defence and counterclaim. The appellant claimed ownership by purchase from the administrators of one Charles Beausoleil (deceased) in 1992 who in turn acquired it from Kwame Addo of Kitase, Head of the Oyoko family in 1973. He also claimed that his vendors went into occupation of the land upon acquisition.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">Paragraph 8 of the statement of defence makes interesting reading and I hereby quote it for effect:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:36.0pt;line-height: 115%"><i><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">“8. The administrators in recognition of diverse good services <o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><i><span style="font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"> rendered by the 1<sup>st</sup> defendant(appellant) to the deceased <o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:69.75pt;text-align:justify;line-height: 115%"><i><span style="fon