SALLY HORNE vs. JOMORO MUNICIPAL ASSEMBLY HALF ASSINI [2021]DLHC11648

Date	2021-12-17
Suit No.	SUIT NO: E1/32/19
Citation No.	[2021]DLHC11648

HIS LORDSHIP JUSTICE DR. RICHMOND OSEI-HWERE J.

PHILIP FIIFI BUCKMAN ESQ FOR PLAINTIFF

BEN ACKAAH GYASI ESQ

FOR THE DEFENDANT

[2021]DLHC11648
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >SALLY HORNE<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>JOMORO MUNICIPAL ASSEMBLY HALF ASSINI<o:p></o:p>[HIGH COURT, SEKONDI]<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" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:normal;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">SUIT NO: E1/32/19&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:
17TH DECEMBER, 2021<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL<o:p></o:p>PHILIP
FIIFI BUCKMAN ESQ FOR PLAINTIFF<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;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">BEN ACKAAH GYASI ESQ, FOR THE DEFENDANT<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM<o:p></o:p>HIS
LORDSHIP JUSTICE DR. RICHMOND OSEI-HWERE J.<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;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;On
13th February, 2019, the Plaintiff herein caused a Writ of Summons
and Statement of Claim to be issued against the Defendant herein for the
following reliefs: <o:p></o:p>a)
Recovery of the Plaintiff’s Land which the Defendant has destroyed by creating
a road into same causing great hardship to the Plaintiff’s activities.<o:p></o:p>b)
An order directed at the Defendant to refill the Plaintiff’s Land which the
Defendant has used excavators to destroy.<o:p></o:p>c)
Damages for trespass.<o:p></o:p>d)
Perpetual injunction restraining the Defendant, its agents, assigns, workmen
from interfering with the Plaintiff’s use of her land for her economic
activities. <o:p></o:p>e)
Cost<o:p></o:p>Per
the pleadings, the Plaintiff’s case is that sometime in December 2007, she
acquired a parcel of land measuring 20 acres at Half Assini from one Nana
Amihere VI, Chief of Half Assini and had 10.21 acres of the land registered at
the Lands Commission Secretariat, Sekondi, for a hotel business. <o:p></o:p>Plaintiff
says that after the Lands Commission had finalized the registration of her
land, she proceeded to obtain the necessary permits from the Defendant and
subsequently put up eleven (11) rooms on the said land and also built an access
route connecting her property to the Main Government Road at Half Assini in
furtherance of her hotel operations. <o:p></o:p>This
action hinges on the fact that the Defendant without recourse to her
constructed a road through her property to the sea. That the Defendant uses the
road for winning sand at the beach and that this new road built by the
Defendant has rendered the existing road she built unmotorable, a situation
which has adversely affected her hotel business and also done grave damage to
her properties. Plaintiff is alleging that Defendant has trespassed onto her
land<o:p></o:p>In
its statement of defence, Defendant denies Plaintiff’s assertions and says that
Plaintiff’s claims are unwarranted as the land used for the road project is
distinct and separate from the Plaintiff’s land which has been registered in
her name. Defendant has also denied the fact that the said road was intended to
be used for or is being used to aid sand winning activities at the beach but
rather the said road forms part of the Jomoro Municipal Assembly’s Development
Plan for the area. Defendant says that prior to the construction of the road,
it undertook a massive public sensitization and awareness program in the
affected Community to inform all land and property owners within the vicinity
about the intended road project.<o:p></o:p>At
the application for directions stage, the court adopted the following issues
for trial: <o:p></o:p>1.
Whether or not the Defendant has trespassed onto the Plaintiff’s Land?<o:p></o:p>2.
Whether or not the Defendant has caused damages to Plaintiff’s properties on
her land by constructing a road through the Plaintiff’s land to the sea shore?<o:p></o:p>3.
Whether or not the Defendant has permitted some persons to win sand on the
Plaintiff’s beach?<o:p></o:p>4.
Whether or not the Defendant’s activities have affected the Plaintiff’s
hospitality business?<o:p></o:p>5.
Whether or not the Plaintiff is entitled to her claim?<o:p></o:p>6.
Any other relief or reliefs as this Honourable Court may deem fit.<o:p></o:p>In
all civil suits, the onus of proof first rests on the party whose positive assertions
have been denied by his opponent. Depending on the admissions made, the party
on whom the burden of proof lies is enjoined by the provisions of sections 10,
11(4), 12 and 14 of the Evidence Act, 1975 (NRCD 323) to lead cogent evidence
such that on the totality of the evidence on record, the court will find that
party's version of the rival accounts to be more probable than its
non-existence. Indeed, this basic principle of proof in civil suits expounded
in Zambrama V Segbedzie (1991) 2 GLR 221 has been subsequently applied in
numerous cases including Takoradi Floor Mills v Samir Faris (2005/06) SCGLR
882; Continental Plastics Ltd v IMC Industries (2009) SCGLR 298 at pages 306 to
307; Abbey v Antwi (2010) SCGLR 17 at 19 (holding 2); and Ackah v. Pergah
Transport Limited and Others [2010] SCGLR 728.<o:p></o:p>