IVAN YELIPOIE vs. BARCLAYS BANK OF GHANA LTD. [2022]DLSC11858

Date	2022-01-07
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. J4/31/2022
Citation No.	[2022]DLSC11858

BAFFOE-BONNIE JSC (PRESIDING)

AMEGATCHER JSC

PROF. KOTEY JSC

LOVELACE-JOHNSON (MS.) JSC

PROF. MENSA-BONSU (MRS.) JSC

ALBERT ADAARE ESQ. FOR THE PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT/APPELLANT

CHARLES HAYIBOR ESQ. FOR THE DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT WITH DANIEL EVANS DZAM

[2022]DLSC11858
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; IVAN
YELIPOIE&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;
<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;(PLAINTIFF /APPELLANT/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p><a name="_heading=h.gjdgxs"></a>BARCLAYS BANK OF GHANA LTD. <o:p></o:p>&nbsp; (DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;[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. J4/31/2022&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:
7TH&nbsp;DECEMBER 2022<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL <o:p></o:p>ALBERT
ADAARE ESQ. FOR THE PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT/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;">

CHARLES HAYIBOR ESQ. FOR THE
DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT WITH DANIEL EVANS DZAM<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>BAFFOE-BONNIE
JSC (PRESIDING), AMEGATCHER JSC, PROF. KOTEY JSC, LOVELACE-JOHNSON (MS.) JSC, PROF.
MENSA-BONSU (MRS.) JSC <o:p></o:p>&nbsp;<div style="border-top-width: 1.5pt; border-top-color: black; border-left: none; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: black; border-right: none; padding: 1pt 0cm;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:normal;border:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid black 1.5pt;
mso-border-bottom-alt:solid black 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>AMEGATCHER
JSC:-<o:p></o:p>INTRODUCTION<o:p></o:p>This is an appeal emanating from the dismissal by
the Court of Appeal of a writ filed by the plaintiff/appellant/appellant
(hereafter called the appellant) against his former employer the defendant/ respondent/
respondent (hereafter called the respondent). The writ was filed at the Human
Rights Division of the High Court for the violations of the 1992 Constitution
and for payment of remuneration differentials. On the 8th November
2017, the High Court dismissed the appellant’s writ and held that not only was
the claim statute barred but that there had been no violation of the appellant’s
constitutional rights. The appellant, dissatisfied with the High Court’s decision,
appealed to the Court of Appeal. By a unanimous judgment dated 11th
June 2020, the Court of Appeal affirmed the decision of the High Court and
dismissed the appeal. Aggrieved by the judgment, and taking advantage of his
constitutionally enshrined right to have a second bite at the cherry, the appellant
has filed this appeal before us for a final determination on the matter.<o:p></o:p>FACTS<o:p></o:p>The appellant’s claim is that he was employed as
an Assistant Agricultural Development Officer of the respondent from 1985 till
his redundancy in 2011. By a letter dated 6th January 1998, he was
transferred to the Tamale Branch of the respondent company. According to the appellant,
the letter did not specify his role in that branch. Sometime on 22nd
December 2000, the Executive Head of Retail Banking after receiving a purported
audit report wrote a final warning letter to the appellant blaming him for
inadequate management controls and unacceptable operational risks. The appellant
replied to the said letter stating that he was neither the branch Accountant nor
part of management. Furthermore, on 5th September 2001, the Head of Retail
Performance, North wrote to the appellant blaming him for inefficiencies in the
Tamale Branch which the appellant denied. Subsequently, on 3rd
December 2001, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the respondent company
wrote a letter to the appellant titled ‘gross misconduct’ where he alleged that
the appellant had failed to meet the requirements of his role as Operations Officer,
a position which appellant claims he never held. <o:p></o:p>The appellant pleaded that even though this letter
indicated that he was being demoted, the effect was not to change his salary
and bonus payments but to take away his signing powers. The appellant also
contended that the role of Operations Officer was alien to the Procedure Manual;
further, he had not been transferred to Tamale as Operations Officer. The appellant
averred that he was never promoted past his initial Assistant Agricultural
Development Officer role and received the salary and all increments attached to
that position till 31st December 2001. In January 2002, he noticed
that his salary was unilaterally and arbitrarily reduced without basis. Despite
his protestations, this reduced salary with annual increments was paid till he
was declared redundant in July 2011.<o:p></o:p>The appellant, therefore, sued at the High Court
for the following reliefs:<o:p></o:p><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:150%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-style:italic">a.&n</main>