OLD PARK ENGINEERING SERVICE vs. CASSEL ENERGY LTD AND AMKO ENERGY GHANA LIMITED [2023]DLHC15119

OLD PARK ENGINEERING SERVICE vs. CASSEL ENERGY LTD AND AMKO ENERGY GHANA LIMITE... [2023]DLHC15119

Date	2023-03-23
Suit No.	SUIT NO. CM/RPC/0486/2018
Citation No.	[2023]DLHC15119

HIS LORDSHIP FRANCIS OBIRI J.

FRED ASARE DANQUAH FOR PLAINTIFF/J/CREDITOR/RESPONDENT

EDWIN LETSA KPEDOR FOR THE DEFENDANT/J/DEBTOR/APPLICANT

SERWAAH SARFO MENSAH FOR THE APPLICANT/RESPONDENT

[2023]DLHC15119
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >OLD PARK ENGINEERING SERVICE<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>CASSEL ENERGY LTD AND AMKO ENERGY
GHANA LIMITED &nbsp;(DEFENDANT/APPLICANT /APPLICANT/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>[HIGH 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: 0in 0in 1pt;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:150%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">SUIT NO. CM/RPC/0486/2018&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;DATE: 23RD MARCH, 2023<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>FRED ASARE
DANQUAH FOR PLAINTIFF/J/CREDITOR/RESPONDENT<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;EDWIN LETSA KPEDOR FOR THE
DEFENDANT/J/DEBTOR/APPLICANT<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" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;line-height:150%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">SERWAAH SARFO MENSAH FOR THE APPLICANT/RESPONDENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:<o:p></o:p>HIS LORDSHIP
FRANCIS OBIRI 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 0in;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:1.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:center;
text-indent:-1.5in;line-height:150%;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">RULING<o:p></o:p>

</div>&nbsp;I have listened to the submissions for and against
the grant of the application for Stay of Proceedings pending the interlocutory
appeal filed by the Defendant/Applicant (hereinafter called the Applicant).&nbsp; I have also listened to the submissions by
counsel for the parties in this case.<o:p></o:p>It is trite law that Stay of Proceedings pending
appeal is predicate on three sources. These are, the Court’s inherent
jurisdiction, the rules of Court if any and the provision of a particular
statute such as Arbitration statute.<o:p></o:p>In Atkins Encyclopaedia of Court Forms in Civil
Proceedings, second edition volume 37, the authors stated at page 189 as
follows:<o:p></o:p>“A stay of proceedings arises when under an
order of the Court proceedings which have been pending in that Court are
brought to a halt at the stage which they have reached, so that while the stay
is in operation, the parties are precluded from taking any further step in the
proceedings. A stay of proceedings is therefore a serious and grave step
because its consequences may have far reaching importance to the parties. It is
a rule of procedure that a litigant is entitled to have his claim to the relief
or remedy which he seeks, tried on the substantive merits of the case.
Therefore, a stay of proceedings is a discretionary remedy which ought to be
exercised very sparingly and only in exceptional cases”.<o:p></o:p>See
also, ERIC TEI AKWETEY &amp; ORS. V TETTEH SIAW – SAPPORE &amp; ORS. [2017] 109
GMJ 153 SC<o:p></o:p>TSATSU
TSIKATA V JUBILEE GHANA MV21 INC AND ANOTHER [2018] 116 GMJ 235 CA<o:p></o:p>The Applicant therefore has a burden to show that
there exist the grounds to allow a Court to put a temporal halt to its
proceedings. Therefore, in cases of stay of proceedings, the Applicant is to
prove that there exist exceptional circumstances to warrant the grant of the
application. <o:p></o:p>See:
AMIDU (NO. 8) V ATTORNEY GENERAL, WATERVILLE HOLDINGS (BVI) LIMITED &amp; WAYOME
[2017 – 2020] 2 SCGLR 421<o:p></o:p><s</main>