BENJAMIN NTOW vs. GHANA PRISON SERVICE AND ATTORNEY GENERAL [2022]DLCA15138

Date	2022-10-20
Suit No.	Suit No. H1/207/2020
Citation No.	[2022]DLCA15138

M. Welbourne (Mrs) J.A. (Presiding)

Bright Mensah J.A.

N. Aryene J.A.

Adjei Lartey for Plaintiff/Appellant

Cecil Adadevoh (CSA) for Defendants/Respondents

[2022]DLCA15138
																																						<div class="restriction-wrapper">
														<div class="container-lg">
															<div class="row">
																<div class="col-md-12 restricted-content">
																	<div class="restricted-content-img-wrapper">
																		<div class="lock-icon bounce-7">
																			<img class=""
																				src="https://www.dennislawgh.com/dl-assets/dl-images/lock-content.png"
																				alt="Subscription based content">
																		</div>
																	</div>
																	 
																		<a href="https://www.dennislawgh.com/login"
																		class="btn btn-primary btn-lg"
																		style="font-family: 'open sans'; text-transform: capitalize; border-radius: 8px"> 
																		Login to Read Full Case </a>
																	 
																	
																</div>
															</div>
														</div>
													</div>
													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >BENJAMIN NTOW<o:p></o:p>(Plaintiff/Appellant)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>GHANA
PRISON SERVICE AND ATTORNEY GENERAL<o:p></o:p>(Defendants/Respondents)<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: 0in 0in 1pt;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:normal;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">Suit No.
H1/207/2020<span lang="en-DE" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Calibri Light&quot;;
mso-bidi-theme-font:major-latin;mso-ansi-language:#2000">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span lang="en-DE" style="font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Calibri Light&quot;;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-latin;
mso-ansi-language:#2000">&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;<span lang="en-DE" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:
&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Calibri Light&quot;;mso-bidi-theme-font:
major-latin;mso-ansi-language:#2000">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Date: 20th
October, 2022<o:p></o:p>

Cecil Adadevoh (CSA) for
Defendants/Respondents<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM<o:p></o:p>M.
Welbourne (Mrs) J.A. (Presiding)<span lang="en-DE" style="font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-ansi-language:#2000">, Bright Mensah J.A.<span lang="en-DE" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:
&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-ansi-language:
#2000">, N.
Aryene 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="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;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;WELBOURNE,
J.A<o:p></o:p>This
Appeal emanates from the Judgment of the High Court, Accra dated 27th
day of March, 2018.<o:p></o:p>In
this appeal the Plaintiff/Appellant will be referred to as the Appellant, and
the 1st and 2nd Defendants/Respondents will also be
referred to as Respondents. <o:p></o:p>BACKGROUND <o:p></o:p>The
Plaintiff is a serving prison officer with the 1st Defendant institution.
The Plaintiff was the gatekeeper at the Sunyani Central Prisons. On the 23rd
September, 2014 some prisoners were taken out for outdoor labour during which
time one of the inmates serving 25 years IHL escaped. On the day in question,
the Plaintiff was the gate keeper and was on duty with his Assistant.<o:p></o:p>The
Plaintiff and some other Prison officers were subsequently arraigned before a
disciplinary panel to answer charges against them regarding the incident of
that day. The Disciplinary Panel recommended the acquittal and discharge at the
end of its hearing; however the 1st Defendant thought otherwise and
applied a sanction of reduction of rank of Sergeant to Corporal.<o:p></o:p>The
Plaintiff argues that the basis for the punishment meted out by the 1st
Defendant’s Director-General was wrong, misconceived, factually&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; incorrect and totally misplaced, as same
was not borne out of the record of proceedings. <o:p></o:p>At
the trial, the Plaintiff sought for the following reliefs;<o:p></o:p>