DUTCH AFRICAN TRADING COMPANY BV (DATC) vs. WEST AFRICAN-MILLS COMPANY LTD [2022]DLCA11307

Date	2022-01-20
Suit No.	SUIT NO. Hl/46/2021
Citation No.	[2022]DLCA11307

ACKAH-YENSU J.A. (PRESIDING)

GAISIE J .A.

BAFFOUR J .A.

MIRACLE ATTACHEY FOR APPLICANT/ APPELLANT.

K. AMOFA AGYEMAN FOR RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT

[2022]DLCA11307
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >IN THE MATTER OF AN APPLICATION UNDER
THE INHERENT JURISDICTION OF THE COURT AND SECTION 59 OF THE ALTERNATIVE
DISPUTE RESOLUTION ACT, 2010 (ACT 798) TO ENFORCE THE ARBITRAL AWARD OF THE
FEDERATION OF COCOA COMMERCE (FCC)<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;AND<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;IN THE MATTER OF AN APPLICATION FOR
ENFORCEMENT OF ARBITRAL AWARD UNDER SECTION 59 OF THE ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE
RESOLUTION ACT, 2010 (ACT 798)<o:p></o:p>BETWEEN<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;DUTCH AFRICAN TRADING COMPANY BV (DATC)<o:p></o:p>(APPLICANT/ APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;vs.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;WEST AFRICAN-MILLS COMPANY LTD<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="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
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padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">SUIT
NO. Hl/46/2021 &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;DATE:
20TH JANUARY, 2022<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>MIRACLE ATTACHEY FOR APPLICANT/ 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;">

K. AMOFA AGYEMAN FOR
RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>ACKAH-YENSU J.A. (PRESIDING), GAISIE J .A., BAFFOUR 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;
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mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">JUDGEMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>&nbsp;AMMA A. GAISIE J .A:<o:p></o:p>This
appeal is from a judgment&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; of the&nbsp; High Court, Commercial Division dated
27th&nbsp; March 2020 which dismissed the
Appellant's application to enforce a foreign arbitral award delivered by the
Federation of Cocoa Commerce (FCC) Tribunal on the 4th and 7th of September,
2015 in London, the United Kingdom.<o:p></o:p>Background:<o:p></o:p>On
10th January 2020, the Applicant/ Appellant (hereinafter 'the Appellant') filed
an application on notice for leave to enforce an arbitral award of the
Federation of Cocoa Commerce under the inherent jurisdiction of the court
(pursuant to Sections 57 and 59 of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Act,
2020, (Act 798).<o:p></o:p>In
the said application, Appellant states that it is a private limited liability
company incorporated under the laws of Netherlands while the
Respondent/Respondent 1s a limited liability company incorporated under the
laws of Ghana.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;The
claim which was submitted to the FCC Tribunal was in relation to twelve (12)
separate contracts between the parties for the supply of Ghana Cocoa Butter and
Ghana Cocoa Liquor.<o:p></o:p>The&nbsp; Appellant alleges that a key clause in all
the 12 contracts was that they were made subject to the FCC Rules of which both
parties were conversant and Rule 1(1.3) of the FCC Rules provides that
"any dispute arising under a contract which incorporates the Contract
Rules for Cocoa Beans shall be settled by FCC Arbitration in accordance with
the FCC Arbitration and Appeal Rules."<o:p></o:p>The
Appellant claims that all the 12 contracts signed by the parties made reference
to the FCC Rules and that therefore the parties had agreed that any dispute
arising between them shall be referred to and determined by the Federation of
Cocoa Commerce (FCC) Tribunal in London.<o:p></o:p>