JOSHUA TETTEH, STANLEY OWUSU, KENNEDY ANDAM AND ATAA NOI ODAI vs. NANCY ACQUAAH [2021]DLCA10804

Date	2021-07-24
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL N0.H 1/266/2020
Citation No.	[2021]DLCA10804

L.L MENSAH J.A (PRESIDING)

MERLEY A. WOOD J.A (MRS)

ERIC BAAH J.A

GASPER LYLE NII-APONSAH FOR THE 3RD DEFENDANT/APPELLANT

MARTIN KPEBU WITH KORMIVI DZOTSI FOR THE PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT

[2021]DLCA10804
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >JOSHUA TETTEH, STANLEY
OWUSU, KENNEDY ANDAM AND ATAA NOI ODAI<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>NANCY ACQUAAH<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>[COURT
OF APPEAL, 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;">

CIVIL APPEAL N0.H 1/266/2020 &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;&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:&nbsp; 24TH JUNE, 2021<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>GASPER
LYLE NII-APONSAH FOR THE 3RD DEFENDANT/APPELLANT<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;">

MARTIN KPEBU WITH KORMIVI DZOTSI FOR THE
PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:
<o:p></o:p>L.L MENSAH J.A (PRESIDING), MERLEY A.
WOOD J.A (MRS), ERIC BAAH J.A<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;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">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>&nbsp;MERLEY
A. WOOD JA<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;In this appeal against the judgment of
the High Court, General Jurisdiction Division, Accra, delivered on 31st
October, 2018, the 3rd Defendant/Appellant’s complaint set out as
the sole ground of appeal is that the judgment is against the weight of
evidence led.<o:p></o:p>The matters that have given rise to the
instant appeal are as follows:<o:p></o:p>The Plaintiff/Respondent (hereafter
referred to as the Plaintiff or alternately as the Respondent) on 22nd
February 2008 sued out a Writ of Summons and a Statement of Claim which was
amended on 14th July 2009 for a declaration that the Plaintiff is
the owner of the land described on the statement of claim, the subject matter
of this action; recovery of possession of the land; perpetual injunction
restraining the Defendants, their agents, privies, workmen, assigns and
beneficiaries from ever entering the property; an order to pull down any
structure built on the land for or at the instance of any of the Defendants or
their agents, servants, workmen, assigns etc; general damages for fraud, an
order to cancel any land document procured by any of the Defendants in respect
of the land; any other relief as the court will deem fit. <o:p></o:p>It was the Plaintiff’s case in pleading
that the land in dispute described as lying at Adjiringano bounded on the North-West,
North-East and South-East by their Lessors’ land, and covering an approximate area
of 0.37 acre more or less or 2 plots , was acquired by a lease in or about the
year 2000 from the lessor Seth Laryea Mensah, Head and Lawful Representative of
the Ashong Mlitse Family of Odaiteitse We for Thirty Two Million old cedis (ȼ32,000,000.00)
after which a receipt was issued and a lease executed for them.&nbsp; Seth Laryea Mensah was the predecessor of the
4th Defendant as the head of the Ashong Mlitse family. The 1st
Defendant who belongs to the said Ashong Mlitse family is the one who led the Plaintiff’s
representative Adriana Acquah in the negotiations and acquisitions
thereof.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>The Plaintiff further pleaded that she
cleared the vacant land, erected a wall around it and built a one room
structure into which Noah Agusah, the caretaker lived. <o:p></o:p>She alleged that when Adriana Acquaah
visited the site after about two years it was noticed that some trespassers had
commenced building on a portion of the land and investigations revealed it was
the 1st Defendant who had sold the land to the 2nd Defendant
who had in turn sold it to the 3rd Defendant which was hurriedly
developed by his contractor Austen Mills. The Plaintiff pleaded that after
protestations by her representative, the 1st Defendant promised to
offer an alternative land or to compensate her with an amount of One Hundred
Million old Cedis (ȼ100,000,000.00) but that did not
materialize. It was the Plaintiff’s pleading that the 3rd Defendant
with the support of the 1st and 2nd Defendants succeeded
in putting up a building despite the matter being reported to the police. &nbsp;The Plaintiff averred that the Defendants
practised fraud on her and thus depriving her of her land. <o:p></o:p>The fraud alleged was particularized in
paragraph 14 of the Statement of Claim as follows: <o:p></o:p>a.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;