GERALD KOFI TOTOBI QUAKYI vs. GHANA GRID COMPANY LIMITED {GRIDCO} AND GHANA GAS COMPANY LIMITED [2022]DLHC11635

GERALD KOFI TOTOBI QUAKYI vs. GHANA GRID COMPANY LIMITED {GRIDCO} AND GHANA GAS... [2022]DLHC11635

Date	2022-02-09
Suit No.	SUIT NO: E1/77/19
Citation No.	[2022]DLHC11635

HIS LORDSHIP DR. RICHMOND OSEI-HWERE J.

CONSTANTINE K.M. KUDZEDZI ESQ. FOR PLAINTIFF

LOM NUKU AHLIJAH ESQ FOR SELMA AWUMBILA FOR 1ST DEFENDANT

PENIN FREDUA AGYEMANG ESQ. FOR WENDY AFEDUA-QUAINOO FOR 2ND DEFENDANT.

[2022]DLHC11635
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >GERALD KOFI TOTOBI QUAKYI<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>GHANA GRID COMPANY LIMITED {GRIDCO} AND GHANA GAS COMPANY
LIMITED<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANTS)<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:115%;tab-stops:89.25pt 180.75pt center 252.0pt;
border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;
mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">SUIT NO:
E1/77/19&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; &nbsp; &nbsp; DATE:
9TH FEBRUARY 2022<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL<o:p></o:p>CONSTANTINE
K.M. KUDZEDZI ESQ. FOR PLAINTIFF<o:p></o:p>LOM
NUKU AHLIJAH ESQ FOR SELMA AWUMBILA FOR 1ST DEFENDANT<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%;tab-stops:89.25pt;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:
solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">PENIN FREDUA AGYEMANG ESQ. FOR WENDY AFEDUA-QUAINOO
FOR 2ND DEFENDANT.<o:p></o:p>

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

</div>&nbsp;By
Writ of Summons filed on 4/6/2019 the Plaintiff suing for himself and on behalf
of the Estate of James Davis Quakyi (deceased) claimed against the Defendants
jointly and severally as follows:<o:p></o:p>i.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; An Order for the payment of
appropriate compensation for deprivation and the use of Plaintiff’s 17.17-acre
land which the Defendants have annexed for the use of the Defendants’ project
in paragraph 8 of the Statement of Claim.<o:p></o:p>ii.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Any other reliefs the Court deems fit
under the circumstances.<o:p></o:p>FACTS OF THE CASE<o:p></o:p>The
uncontestable facts of the case are that the Defendants are public utility
companies in Ghana. The 1st Defendant is into the business of
electricity transmission whilst the 2nd Defendant is into processing
and transportation of natural gas.<o:p></o:p>The
1st Defendant company constructed a 330Kv transmission line under
the Sekondi-Aboadze Karpower Transmission Line Project. The project affected
part of the land in contention as the transmission line passes through a
portion of the land. <o:p></o:p>On
or about March 2018, the 2nd Defendant embarked on what it termed as
“the Karpower ship Relocation Project” and therefore needed to acquire Right of
Way (ROW) for the construction of its pipeline from Aboadzi to Sekondi, and
ancillary facilities. The relocation was in line with the Government of Ghana’s
strategic policy for the Karpower ship to utilize natural gas from the Western
enclave, and was estimated to save the government $20million dollars monthly.
This was a significant step towards meeting the electricity demand of Ghana’s
population and industry. The construction of the pipeline thus traversed many
lands including that of the land in contention. In view of this, the 2nd
Defendant prepared a master Cadastral plan showing the proposed acquisition
boundaries for the ROW and submitted it to the Lands Commission for it to
identify the owners of the lands and value same for the purpose of determining
an appropriate compensation to the affected land owners.<o:p></o:p>On
14th March 2019, the Lands Valuation Divion (LVD) of the Lands Commission
presented a valuation report to the 2nd Defendant. It was signed by one Peter
Donkor. The Report assessed the value of the land as GHS247,000.00 per acre. Per
the Lands Commission record, the owner of the subject-matter land was
identified as one Esi Baawah. <o:p></o:p>Lawyers
of Tetefie Nsona family of Saltpond on 21st January 2019 wrote to
the 2nd Defendant through their lawyer, demanding compensation as
family and beneficiaries of the Estate of Esi Baawah. Before this claim could
be ascertained by the 2nd Defendant, the Plaintiff through his
lawyer, on 2nd February 2019 also wrote to the 2nd Defendant
to claim compensation as owners of the subject matter land by virtue of a court
of Appeal’s judgment dated 20th March 2003 and a Will of the late
James Davies Quakyi dated 30th August 2005.<o:p></o:p>Plaintiff
subsequently issued a writ, claiming the afore-stated reliefs.<o:p></o:p>PLAINTIFF’S CASE<o:p></o:p>In
his statement of claim, Plaintiff avers that his late father Mr. James Davis
Quakyi died testate on 8th July, 2007 and Probate was granted in respect of
deceased’s Will dated 30th August 2005 to him and one Kwabena Owusu of blessed
memory by the High Court, Cape Coast, on 7th July, 2009 as Executors of the
deceased’s estate. That the deceased at the time of his death was the owner
absolute of a parcel of</main>