ERIC TETTEH KWEI vs. AMARKAI AMARTEIFIO [2021]DLCA10839

Date	2021-05-05
Suit No.	SUIT NO. HI/21/2021
Citation No.	[2021]DLCA10839

CECILIA H. SOWAH JA (PRESIDING)

ANTHONY OPPONG JA

ANGELINA MENSAH HOMIAH JA

KWADWO ADDEAH SAFO ESQ. FOR THE PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT

CHRISTIAN BRUCE-ASHIRIFIE ESQ. FOR THE 1ST DEFENDANT/APPELLANT

[2021]DLCA10839
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >ERIC TETTEH KWEI<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>AMARKAI AMARTEIFIO<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>[COURT
OF APPEAL, KOFORIDUA]<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;">

SUIT NO. HI/21/2021&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;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
DATE: 5TH MAY 2021<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>KWADWO ADDEAH SAFO ESQ. FOR THE
PLAINTIFF/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: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">

CHRISTIAN BRUCE-ASHIRIFIE ESQ. FOR THE
1ST DEFENDANT/APPELLANT <o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>CECILIA H. SOWAH JA (PRESIDING),
ANTHONY OPPONG JA, ANGELINA MENSAH HOMIAH JA<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="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><o:p></o:p>ANTHONY
OPPONG, JA<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;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 27th July
2020 against which this appeal was filed is at pages 294-296 of the record of
appeal.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;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>&nbsp;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>&nbsp;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 Eric Tetteh Kwei vrs. Lands
Commission &amp; Others. 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>&nbsp;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>&nbsp;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 2nd
defendant and sought as against the registrar an order to restrain him “from 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>&nbsp;Following the institution of the
respondent’s action at the High Court, he filed an application to “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”<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;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>&nbsp;Paragraph 8 of the statement of
defence makes interesting reading and I hereby quote it for effect:<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;“8.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The administrators in recognition of
diverse good services <o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; rendered
by the 1st defendant(appellant) to the deceased <o:p></o:p>Charles
Beausoleil and his estate and also in consideration of payments in cash, some
of the Oyoko family, vested the said parcel of land in the defendant. The
Def</main>