STARCHYS SAVADOGO vs. JOHN ASSUMAN [2023]DLHC17085

Date	2023-04-25
Suit No.	SUIT NO. E12/4/22
Citation No.	[2023]DLHC17085

HIS LORDSHIP JUSTICE DR. RICHMOND OSEI-HWERE

ROBERTSON KPATSA ESQ

J.E. ABEKAH ESQ

[2023]DLHC17085
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:-2.5pt;
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line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;text-autospace:none">STARCHYS SAVADOGO<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:-2.5pt;
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line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;text-autospace:none">(PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:-2.5pt;
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line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;text-autospace:none">vs.<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:-2.5pt;
margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:4.5pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:center;
line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;text-autospace:none">JOHN ASSUMAN<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:-2.5pt;
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line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;text-autospace:none">(DEFENDANT/APPLICANT)<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:-2.5pt;
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line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;text-autospace:none">[HIGH
COURT, SEKONDI]<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:-2.5pt;margin-bottom:
0cm;margin-left:4.5pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;line-height:
normal;mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:168.75pt 278.15pt;text-autospace:none">&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;&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;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <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: black; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt; margin-left: 4.5pt; margin-right: -2.5pt;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;text-autospace:none;border:none;
mso-border-bottom-alt:solid black 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><a name="_heading=h.gjdgxs"></a>SUIT NO. E12/4/22&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: 25TH &nbsp;APRIL 2023<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM<o:p></o:p>HIS LORDSHIP JUSTICE DR. RICHMOND
OSEI-HWERE<o:p></o:p><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; margin-left: 4.5pt; margin-right: -2.5pt;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;text-autospace:none;
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">RULING<o:p></o:p>

</div>The
position of Ghanaian law was settled that executors and administrators are the
proper people to sue and be sued in respect of the estate of a deceased person.
Beneficiaries of an estate had no capacity to sue or be sued.<o:p></o:p>In
Okyere
(decd) (substituted by Peprah) v Appenteng &amp; Adomaa (J4 17 of 2008) [2011]
GHASC 33 (23 November 2011), Date-Bah JSC amplified the position of the
law at the time when he held as follows:<o:p></o:p>“When a person dies testate or
intestate, his estate devolves on the executor or personal representatives
until a vesting assent has been executed to the beneficiaries or devisee; and
until the grant to them of the vesting assent, the beneficiaries and devisees
have no title or locus standi over any portion of the estate.”<o:p></o:p>However,
in Adisa
Boya vs. Zenabu Mohammed (Substituted by Adama Mohammed) and Mujeeb [2018] DLSC
4225, the Supreme Court per Gbadegbe JSC in holding 3 held:<o:p></o:p>“Under the rules on intestacy contained
in section 4(1) of PNDCL 111, following the death of the father of the
defendants and their mother the original defendant, the property devolved upon
the children and as such they had an immediate legal interest in the property.
Consequently, they were competent to defend and/or sue in respect of the
property and either of them acting together or any of them acting on behalf of
the others might seek an order of declaration of title to be made in his
favour.”<o:p></o:p>The
decision in Adisa Boya case supra has departed from the Okyere
case supra by modifying the position of the law on the subject. The
Supreme Court has consequently clothed beneficiaries of the estate of a
deceased with capacity to sue or be sued in respect of the estate. <o:p></o:p>