GEORGE AKPASS vs. GHANA COMMERCIAL BANK LTD. [2021]DLSC10768

Date	2021-06-16
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. J4/08/2021
Citation No.	[2021]DLSC10768

YEBOAH CJ (PRESIDING)

PWAMANG JSC

AMEGATCHER JSC

OWUSU (MS.) JSC

HONYENUGA JSC

EUNAS KOFI ESHUN FOR THE PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT/APPELLANT.

KWAME D. S. ASIRI FOR THE DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT.

[2021]DLSC10768
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >GEORGE AKPASS<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>GHANA COMMERCIAL BANK LTD.<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>[SUPREME
COURT, 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 NO. J4/08/2021 &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;DATE:
16TH JUNE, 2021<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>EUNAS KOFI
ESHUN FOR THE PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT/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:115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">KWAME D. S. ASIRI FOR THE
DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT.<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;<o:p></o:p>YEBOAH CJ (PRESIDING), PWAMANG JSC, AMEGATCHER
JSC, OWUSU (MS.) JSC, HONYENUGA JSC<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;MAJORITY OPINION<o:p></o:p>AMEGATCHER, JSC:-<o:p></o:p>Until
29th May 2009, the appellant, George Akpass was a chief clerk of the
Bole Branch of respondent bank, having worked there for approximately 27 years.
The appellant was summarily dismissed on 29th May 2009. He was
initially interdicted for certain acts of fraudulent transfer of funds into his
accounts and uncredited lodgement into the account of Total Petroleum by a
customer of the bank called Gyimantwi Enterprise. Prior to the dismissal, a
disciplinary hearing was held into the source of his authority to give
immediate value to bank cheques sent for clearing between 1st
January 2007 and April 2008 contrary to laid down policies of the bank.<o:p></o:p>FACTS:<o:p></o:p>The
appellant challenged his dismissal by a writ at the High Court, Accra. He sought
a declaration that his dismissal was unlawful, reinstatement with full
benefits, compensation for unlawful dismissal, damages, costs, and solicitor’s
fees, In the alternative, he asked for payment of his end of service benefits
from 20th May 2009, interest on the amount at the prevailing commercial
bank rate and any other reliefs the court may deem fit. He contended that entries
he passed to disburse the loan facility for the purchase of a vehicle by the
bank’s customer and letters he wrote or co-signed to the bank’s customer were
under the instructions of the bank’s branch manager, Rev Duke Commey who was
given authority by management to determine appellant’s duties. <o:p></o:p>The
respondent disputed this assertion and insisted that appellant failed to comply
with the staff responsibilities as set out in his appointment letter, bank’s
books of instructions, service rules, circulars, policy guidelines and the
Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). Additionally, respondent says the appellant
perpetuated fraud against the bank when he accepted cash inducement from the
customer of the bank to conceal his cheques thereby causing financial loss to
the bank. The respondent, therefore, counterclaimed for the sum of
Ghc227,765.94 being the claim made against the bank by the customer for
dereliction of duty and damages for loss of business and reputational damage. <o:p></o:p>After
a full trial, the High Court presided over by Laurenda Owusu J on 4th
July 2016 dismissed the appellant’s claim. Dissatisfied with the decision of
the trial court, the appellant appealed to the Court of Appeal which on 18th
June 2019 unanimously dismissed the appellant’s appeal. The current appeal
before the apex court is the result, again, of the dissatisfaction of the
appellant to the judgments of the two lower courts, albeit superior courts of
record. The appellant filed and argued three grounds of appeal as follows:<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:
auto;margin-left:54.0pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;text-indent:-36.0pt;
line-height:115%;mso-list:l8 level1 lfo6">i.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
The
judgment is against the weight of evidence.<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:
auto;margin-left:54.0pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;text-indent:-36.0pt;
line-height:115%;mso-list:l8 level1 lfo6">ii.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&</main>