A.J. FANJ CONSTRUCTION AND INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING LTD. vs. GHACEM LIMITED [2022]DLSC11712

Date	2022-03-02
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. J4/36/2021
Citation No.	[2022]DLSC11712

BAFFOE-BONNIE JSC (PRESIDING)

DORDZIE (MRS.) JSC

PROF. KOTEY JSC

OWUSU (MS.)

PROF. MENSA-BONSU (MRS) JSC

OSCAR FORDJUOR ESQ. FOR THE PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT/APPELLANT.

DANIEL SAGU OSEI ESQ. FOR THE DEFENDANT/APPELLANT/RESPONDENT.

[2022]DLSC11712
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >A.J. FANJ CONSTRUCTION AND
INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING LTD.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; (PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>GHACEM LIMITED<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT/APPELLANT/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. J4/36/2021&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;DATE: 2ND MARCH,
2022<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;OSCAR FORDJUOR ESQ. FOR THE
PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT/APPELLANT.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;<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="MsoNormalCxSpLast" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;line-height:normal;border:none;
mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">DANIEL SAGU OSEI ESQ. FOR THE
DEFENDANT/APPELLANT/RESPONDENT.<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;<o:p></o:p>BAFFOE-BONNIE JSC (PRESIDING), DORDZIE (MRS.) JSC,
PROF. KOTEY JSC, OWUSU (MS.), PROF. MENSA-BONSU (MRS) 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="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:150%;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;BAFFOE-BONNIE JSC:-<o:p></o:p>In this ruling the plaintiff, AJ FANJCONSTRUCTION
AND INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING LTD, shall be referred to as the appellant and
GHACEM shall be referred to as the respondent.<o:p></o:p>This is an appeal from a ruling from the Court of
Appeal, coram, V.D Ofoe, Bartels Kwodwo (Mrs.), Barnasko-Essah (Mrs.), JJA. Dated,
10th December 2020, The said ruling of the Court of Appeal, reversed
an earlier ruling dated 16thApril 2019, delivered by the High Court
presided over by Kyei Baafour J(as he then was).The High Court had refused an
application by the respondent herein, to dismiss the suit filed by the
appellant on the grounds of res judicata
and abuse of court process. Being aggrieved by the decision of His Lordship
Kyei Baafour J, (as he then was),the respondent appealed to the Court of Appeal
which reversed the decision of the High Court and struck out the suit on the
grounds of res judicata and abuse of
court process. It is this decision by the Court of Appeal that the appellant is
challenging before this court.<o:p></o:p>How did we get here?<o:p></o:p>BACKGROUND<o:p></o:p>For a fuller and better appreciation of this
ruling it is necessary to set out in great detail the series of events that
have culminated in the appeal before us.<o:p></o:p>On the 8th of July, 2009, West Africa
Quarries Limited (WAQL) entered into a contract with AJ FANJ Construction and
Engineering Limited, the appellant herein, for the operation of limestone
mining, crushing and haulage, from its concessions at Yongwa in the Eastern
Region. Subsequent to terms of settlement executed between WAQL and the
appellant, the parties agreed that the appellant shall continue to mine and
supply limestone from the Yongwa Concession as they had been doing previously,
based on agreements, beyond December 2012, which was the expiry date of the
then prevailing agreement. As part of the settlement, it was agreed to extend
the duration of the 2009 Yongwa contract which was to end in December 2012 for
an indefinite period.<o:p></o:p>In June 2016, the Yongwa Concession was attached
in execution of a judgment obtained against WAQL and so the concession was shut
down. Following the shutdown of the Yongwa Concession as a result of the
attachment of same in execution of the judgment, the appellant herein,
instituted arbitral proceedings against WAQL as stipulated in the contract. WAQL
did not only dispute the claims of the appellant, it also proceeded to file its
statement of defence, after which the appellant filed a reply.<o:p></o:p>The parties thereafter proceeded to appoint a sole
arbitrator to conduct the arbitral proceedings. In the course of the arbitral proceedings,
specifically on the 1st of March 2017, the appellant brought an
application before the Tribunal of the Ghana Arbitration Centre seeking to join
the respondent herein (GHACEM), a non-signatory party, to the ongoing arbitration
between the appellant and WAQL In the said application, his grounds for seeking
to join respondent were as follows,<o:p></o:p>1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; GHACEM Ltd
negotiated and performed the contract in which the Arbitration Agreement was
contained and merely used WAQL as the face for the contract.<o:p></</main>