MABANI TWO COMPANY LTD vs. FRED OHENE FRIMPONG [2021]DLCA16201

Date	2021-04-29
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO: H1/44/2021
Citation No.	[2021]DLCA16201

ANGELINA M. DOMAKYAAREH (MRS.) J A (PRESIDING)

ALEX B. POKU-ACHEAMPONG J A

SAMUEL K. A. ASIEDU J A

KWASI AFRIFA FOR THE PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT

KWAME BOAFO FOR THE DEFENDANT/APPELLANT.

[2021]DLCA16201
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >MABANI TWO COMPANY LTD <o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>FRED OHENE FRIMPONG <o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>[COURT OF APPEAL, KUMASI]<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: H1/44/2021&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;DATE: 29TH APRIL, 2021<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>KWASI AFRIFA 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: 0in 0in 1pt;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">KWAME BOAFO FOR THE
DEFENDANT/APPELLANT.<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:
<o:p></o:p>ANGELINA
M. DOMAKYAAREH (MRS.) J A (PRESIDING), ALEX B. POKU-ACHEAMPONG J A, SAMUEL K.
A. ASIEDU 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 0in;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
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:0in;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0in 1.0pt 0in">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>&nbsp;DOMAKYAAREH
(MRS.), JA:<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:
150%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Yu Gothic UI Semilight&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">[1] <span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Yu Gothic UI Semilight&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">This appeal is against the judgment of the
High Court, Commercial Division, Prempeh Assembly Hall, Kumasi dated 17th
November, 2016. In the said judgment, the trial court entered judgment in
favour of the Plaintiff/Respondent herein for the recovery of the sum of GH¢76,000.00
from the Defendant/Appellant and interest thereon at the Commercial Bank rate
from June 2011 to the date of final payment and cost of GH¢4,000.00. In this
judgment, for ease of reference, the Plaintiff/Respondent shall be called the
Respondent, while the Defendant/Appellant shall be called the Appellant. The
facts that culminated in this judgment are as follows:<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:
150%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Yu Gothic UI Semilight&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">[2] <span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Yu Gothic UI Semilight&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">The Respondent is a company incorporated under
the laws of Ghana While the Appellant is a Private Legal Practitioner based in
Kumasi. Per its Statement of Claim filed on 30/6/15 the Respondent averred that
the Appellant made representations to it of being able to procure a plot known
as PLOT NO. 7 REAR CAPE COAST ROAD, TAKORADI for the benefit of the Respondent.
Consequent upon the said representations, the Appellant demanded and received
an amount of Fifty Thousand US Dollars (US$50,000.00) and signed a receipt for
same. The Respondent further averred that the Appellant also demanded and
received an amount of Forty Thousand Ghana Cedis (GH¢40,000.00) as
facilitator’s fee or commission which the Respondent did not seek to recover
through the suit. It is the case of the Respondent that in spite of the payment
of these sums of money to the Appellant, as at the date of the filing of the
suit, he failed to procure the piece of land for the benefit of the Respondent.
The Respondent also averred that from various correspondence between the
Respondent and the Appellant, it became obvious that the Appellant was resorting
to extraneous reasons and unacceptable excuses for his inability to perform the
undertaking that he gave to the Respondent. The Respondent said it conducted a
search and realized that the Appellant was simply not in a position to deliver
on his promise, as the land was owned by people other than those whom the
Appellant claimed were the owners. The Respondent therefore wrote to the Appellant
that it was no longer interested in the transaction and demanded a refund of
the amount of Fifty Thousand US Dollars (US$50,000.00). The Respondent followed
this up with a Demand letter by its in-house Solicitor but the Appellant
persisted in the default much to the inconvenience and hardship of the
Respondent and did not accord the said Demand letter even with the&nbsp; courtesy of a reply. The Respondent concluded
by asserting that it was abundantly clear that it is only the authoritative
intervention of the Honourable court that will compel the Appellant to settle
the indebtedness as recently, calls made to the Appellant in respect of the
transaction were not picked up by the Appellant. <o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:
150%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Yu Gothic UI Semilight&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">[3] <span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Yu Gothic UI Semilight&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">The Respondent therefore instituted the
instant action and claimed the following two reliefs from the Appellant.<o:p></o:p>1.<span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;
font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Yu Gothic UI Semilight&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">Recovery of the
amount of Fifty Thousand United States of American Dollars (USD $50,000.00) or
its equivalent in Cedis at the prevailing forex bureau rate which amount the
defendant collected from the plaintiff for the purpose of selling PLOT NO. 7
REAR CAPE COAST ROAD, TAKORADI to the plaintiff but has failed to so do and
equally neglected to refund the said amount in spite of repeated demands by the
plaintiff.<o:p></o:p>2.<span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;