DANIEL MOORE APRAKUSU vs. MINERALS COMMISSION [2021]DLCA11025

Date	2021-11-25
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO: H2/234/2020
Citation No.	[2021]DLCA11025

JUSTICE SENYO DZAMEFE J. A. (PRESIDING)

JUSTICE P. BRIGHT MENSAH J. A.

JUSTICE JENNIFER A. DODOO (MRS) J. A.

ARCHIE MARTIN DANSO JNR FOR COMPLAINANT/APPELLANT

JOSEPH DZAKPASU FOR RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT

[2021]DLCA11025
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >DANIEL MOORE APRAKUSU<o:p></o:p>(COMPLAINANT/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>MINERALS COMMISSION<o:p></o:p>(RESPONDENT/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;">

<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:
.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:center;line-height:150%;border:none;
mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">CIVIL APPEAL NO: H2/234/2020&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;DATE: 25TH NOVEMBER, 2021<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL<o:p></o:p>ARCHIE MARTIN DANSO JNR FOR COMPLAINANT/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;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;line-height:normal;tab-stops:348.0pt;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:
solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">JOSEPH DZAKPASU FOR RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>JUSTICE
SENYO DZAMEFE J. A. (PRESIDING), JUSTICE
P. BRIGHT MENSAH J. A., JUSTICE
JENNIFER A. DODOO (MRS) 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="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:150%;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;DODOO,
JA (MRS)<o:p></o:p>The Complainant/Appellant (who shall in this Judgment
be referred to as the Appellant) was employed by the Respondent as its internal
auditor per a letter of appointment dated 6th November, 2007 to take
effect from 3rd December, 2007.&nbsp;
On 25th July, 2016 he was invited to appear before a special
fact-finding Committee set up by the Respondent in relation to the Secretariat’s
accounts and accounting practices.&nbsp; He
appeared before the committee on 2nd August, 2016 and following on
that, received a letter dated 31st August, 2016 terminating his appointment
on the ground that his “conduct does not meet the highest standard of
efficiency and integrity required in the Commission’s Regulations.”&nbsp; After exhausting all the internal mechanisms
for redress, he filed a complaint of unfair termination before the Labour
Commission (The Commission).&nbsp; The sole
relief was for reinstatement effective from the date of his termination.<o:p></o:p>It was his
complaint that the procedure used in terminating his appointment was unfair,
discriminatory and did not follow any known disciplinary procedure. It was his
case that no case of misconduct was alleged against him by the Respondent, no
Committee was formed to investigate him and he was neither issued with a query
nor given any opportunity to be heard in respect of any allegation.&nbsp; It was his claim that it was only after he
had honoured an invitation to appear before the Special Committee in respect of
accounts and accounting practice that he was issued with a letter of
termination.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;The Respondent’s
version of events was that the Appellant as Internal Auditor was invited by a
Special Committee to “clarify issues arising from information provided to the
Special Committee, including issues relating to payment of allowances of staff
without due regard to the Commission’s policies and regulations, failure to
perform his work with diligence and responsibility, failure to satisfactorily
safeguard the financial resources of the Commission and failure to maintain
integrity and independence in his work.”<o:p></o:p></</main>