AYIEM OIL MILLS LIMITED vs. GHANA GAS COMPANY [2022]DLSC11622

Date	2022-07-27
Suit No.	SUIT NO: E2/74/18
Citation No.	[2022]DLSC11622

HIS LORDSHIP JUSTICE DR. RICHMOND OSEI-HWERE J.

E. KWABENA GYAMFI ESQ. FOR THE PLAINTIFF

PANIN FREDUA-AGYEMAN ESQ. FOR THE DEFENDANT

[2022]DLSC11622
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >AYIEM OIL MILLS LIMITED<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>GHANA GAS COMPANY<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT)<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;">

</div>COUNSEL<o:p></o:p>E. KWABENA GYAMFI
ESQ. FOR THE 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:150%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">PANIN
FREDUA-AGYEMAN 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
7th August, 2018 Plaintiff herein instituted action against the
Defendant claiming the following reliefs:<o:p></o:p>i.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
The
sum of GHC 35,288.93 being the balance of compensation payable to them by the
defendants, of its palm trees, the defendants felled about August, 2012 but
which sum the defendants have neglected to pay to the plaintiffs.<o:p></o:p>ii.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Interest
at the prevailing bank lending rate from August 2012 to the date of final
judgment.<o:p></o:p>The
incontrovertible facts leading to the writ are that in the year 2014, the
Government of Ghana compulsorily acquired lands in the Western Region for the
use and benefit of Defendant under the State Lands (Western Region Site for
Atuabo-Aboadze Gas Pipeline) Instrument, E.I. 47 of 2014.<o:p></o:p>Defendant
felled some trees belonging to the Plaintiff to enable the Defendant construct
a gas pipeline from Atuabo to Aboadze. Pursuant
to the provisions of the State Lands Act 1962, Act 125 and the E.I. 47 of 2014,
the Lands Valuation Division (LVD) of the Lands Commission, a statutory body
clothed with the authority to deal with those matters, enumerated the number of
crops on forms numbered F.001, F.002, F.121 and F.114 on 28th July
2012, which were duly signed by representatives of the Plaintiff. Defendant thereafter issued cheques of
GHS2,256.00, GHS81 and GHS645 – all totaling GHS2,982.00 to the Plaintiff as
total and final payment for the crops felled by the Defendant. Plaintiff is
dissatisfied with the above payments and has issued the instant writ claiming
the reliefs above.<o:p></o:p>Plaintiff’s
case is simply that per an assessment made by a valuer, the value of the palm
trees felled amount to GHS 38,270.93 less the total sum of cheques issued by
the Defendant to the Plaintiff.<o:p></o:p>Defendant’s
case is that it has fully compensated the Plaintiff for the palm trees felled
per the payments of the aforementioned cheques to the Plaintiff.<o:p></o:p>At
the Application for Directions stage, the following issues were set down for
determination:<o:p></o:p>1.
Whether or not the sums paid for felling of the Plaintiff’s palm trees were
proper/appropriate values thereof?<o:p></o:p>2.
Whether or not Plaintiff is entitled to his claim?<o:p></o:p>In
this judgment, I shall tackle the issues together since they are inextricably
linked.<o:p></o:p>Section
4 of the State Lands Act, 1962 (Act 125) is titled ‘Claims and Compensation’.
It deals with claims for compensation such as the instant case, where a public
entity acquires land for a public purpose.&nbsp;
Section 4(1) requires a person claiming compensation to, submit claims
to the Minister responsible for Lands with certain particulars to claim the
compensation that the person believes is due him within six months.
Furthermore, section 4(2) allows escalation to the Tribunal in the event that
there is some dissatisfaction with the compensation as assessed by the Minister
for Lands.<o:p></o:p>It
is clear from the provision that the Minister plays a central role in the
determination of the quantum of compensation payable to a landowner and therein
lies the relevance of the Land Valuation Division (LVD), the current governmen</main>