NII AFLAH vs. BENJAMIN KWAKU BOATENG [2023]DLSC16141

Date	2023-03-22
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. J4/80/2022
Citation No.	[2023]DLSC16141

DOTSE JSC (PRESIDING)

LOVELACE-JOHNSON (MS.) JSC

AMADU JSC

PROF. MENSA-BONSU (MRS.) JSC

KULENDI JSC

JOSEPH KWAKU GYIMAH ESQ. FOR THE DEFENDANT/APPELLANT/ APPELLANT.

JOSEPH KAPONDE ESQ. FOR THE PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT.

[2023]DLSC16141
																																						<div class="restriction-wrapper">
														<div class="container-lg">
															<div class="row">
																<div class="col-md-12 restricted-content">
																	<div class="restricted-content-img-wrapper">
																		<div class="lock-icon bounce-7">
																			<img class=""
																				src="https://www.dennislawgh.com/dl-assets/dl-images/lock-content.png"
																				alt="Subscription based content">
																		</div>
																	</div>
																	 
																		<a href="https://www.dennislawgh.com/login"
																		class="btn btn-primary btn-lg"
																		style="font-family: 'open sans'; text-transform: capitalize; border-radius: 8px"> 
																		Login to Read Full Case </a>
																	 
																	
																</div>
															</div>
														</div>
													</div>
													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >NII
AFLAH&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT/APPELLANT/APPELLANT) <o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p><a name="_heading=h.gjdgxs"></a>BENJAMIN KWAKU
BOATENG&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT/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.
J4/80/2022&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;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;DATE:
22ND MARCH 2023<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL <o:p></o:p>JOSEPH KWAKU GYIMAH ESQ. FOR THE
DEFENDANT/APPELLANT/<o:p></o:p>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;">

JOSEPH KAPONDE ESQ. FOR THE PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT.<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM<o:p></o:p>DOTSE JSC (PRESIDING),
LOVELACE-JOHNSON (MS.) JSC, AMADU JSC, PROF. MENSA-BONSU (MRS.) JSC, KULENDI
JSC &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <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;">

JUDGMENT <o:p></o:p>

</div>&nbsp;KULENDI JSC:-<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;INTRODUCTION.<o:p></o:p>By a
unanimous decision of this Court on the 22nd &nbsp;day of March 2023, this appeal by the
Defendant/Appellant/Appellant (hereinafter called the Appellant) against the
judgment of the Court of Appeal dated 16th December 2021 failed in
it’s entirety and was accordingly dismissed. In its place the judgement of the
High Court, dated 24th July 2018 was thereby restored.&nbsp; We however reserved our reasons to be filed
on a subsequent date, which we hereby deliver.<o:p></o:p>BACKGROUND:<o:p></o:p>The
Plaintiff/Respondent/Respondent (hereinafter referred to as “the Respondent”)
issued a Writ of Summons and Statement of Claim against the Appellant on 12th
July, 2013 for the following reliefs:<o:p></o:p><ol style="margin-top:0cm" start="1" type="a">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 150%;">Declaration
 of title to land lying or being at Odorkor at Teiko Adam near Tsum,
 Odorkor with an approximate area of 0.29 acre with a house thereon and
 more particularly described on Plaintiff’s title documents.<o:p></o:p></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 150%;">Perpetual
 injunction restraining the defendant herein, whether by himself, agents,
 assigns, representatives, hirelings or whosoever from entering into,
 trespassing or intermeddling with the said property. <o:p></o:p></li>
</ol>&nbsp;In a
fifteen (15) paragraph Statement of Claim, the Respondent described the land as
a 0.29 acre land bounded on the North-West by a proposed road measuring 100
feet more or less, on the North-East by J. Welbeck's land measuring 130 feet
more or less, on the South East by vendor's land measuring 100 feet, to the
South West by A.M Allotey's land measuring 130 feet more or less and more
particularly described in the Plaintiff's title documents and site plan.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;According
to the Respondent, the land in dispute was conveyed to him and his wife by a
conveyance dated June 1989 by one Stella Aso Siaw who earlier acquired the land
by a lease dated 10th January, 1979. The Respondent alleges that
upon the acquisition of the land, he constructed a two-bedroom house on the
land and resides there whenever he comes to Ghana. According to him,&nbsp; he also put in a tenant in the house who
doubled as his caretaker and that the said house has been on the land for over
20 years prior to the institution of the action. <o:p></o:p>&nbsp;In June,
2013, the Appellant sued and obtained a judgment from the Kaneshie District
Court against the Respondent’s tenant at a time when the tenant had travelled.
The Appellant then proceeded to eject the Respondent’s tenant from the house.
It was contended by the Respondent that the Appellant’s claim to the land is
fraudulent and the particulars of the alleged fraud were stated as follows:<o:p></o:p><ol style="margin-top:0cm" start="1" type="a">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 150%;">“The Defendant or his family had leased the same
 land to Stella Aso Si