[2020]DLSC8744 Login to Read Full Case <span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma; color:#00B0F0">THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma; color:#00B0F0">vs.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma; color:#00B0F0">HIGH COURT, ACCRA (LAND DIVISION)</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;color:#00B0F0;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> </span><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">(1<sup>ST</sup> RESPONDENT),</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;mso-bidi-font-weight: bold"> </span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;color:#00B0F0">LANDS COMMISSION</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;color:#00B0F0;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> </span><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">(2<sup>ND</sup> RESPONDENT</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">) </span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;color:#00B0F0">EX-PARTE: UT PROPERTIES LIMITED</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;color:#00B0F0;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> </span><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">(APPLICANT),</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> </span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma; color:#00B0F0">NII ANNANG NUKPA FAMILY, DANIEL TETTEY COMMEY AND ROBERT TETTEY MENSAH</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;color:#00B0F0; mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> </span><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">(INTERESTED PARTIES)</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">[SUPREME COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="margin-bottom:6.0pt;text-align:center; line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">CIVIL MOTION NO. J5/35/2019 DATE:18<sup>TH</sup> MARCH, 2020<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;line-height:115%"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:6.0pt;text-align:justify;line-height: 115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm; mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> CHRISTOPHER AMANORTEY AKWESI FOR THE APPLICAN</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">T.<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-bottom:6.0pt;text-align:justify;line-height: 115%"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">CORAM: <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-bottom:6.0pt;text-align:justify;line-height: 115%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">DOTSE JSC (PRESIDING), APPAU JSC, PWAMANG JSC, DORDZIE (MRS.) JSC, OWUSU (MS) JSC<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border-top:solid windowtext 1.5pt; border-left:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;border-right:none; padding:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:115%;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"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">RULING<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:115%"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;line-height:115%"><b><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">DOTSE JSC:-<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">On the 10<sup>th</sup> of March 2020, this court allowed an application at the instance of the Applicants herein in which they sought an order of Certiorari directed at the Ruling of the High Court, (Land Division) Accra, Coram Eric Baah J dated 15<sup>th</sup> day of April 2014 in Suit No. FAL 291/11 intitutled <b><i>Robert Tettey Mensah and 2 Others v Seargent Abdulai Bawa and 7 Others</i></b> and also a further order of Certiorari directed to the Registrar of Land Title Registry, Lands Commission, for cancellation of Land Title Registration Certificate No. TD 13285 and restoration of Land Certificate No. TD 9221.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">The grounds of the said application are:-<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-18.0pt; line-height:115%;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">1.<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></i></b><!--[endif]--><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">Breach of the Rules of natural justice<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">In support of the above ground, the Applicants allege that the High Court, Land Division Accra, presided over by the Judge referred to supra in the said Suit on 15<sup>th</sup> April 2014 breached the rules of natural justice to wit, the “audi alteram partem rule” when he delivered a ruling in the matter intitutled <b><i>Robert Tettey Mensah and 2 others v Seargent Abdulai Bawa and 7 Others in Suit No. FAL 291/11</i></b> and made orders directing the cancellation of the Applicant’s Land Title Certificate No. TD 9221 without giving the Applicants an opportunity to be heard.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">2. Wednesbury Principle<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">The Registrar of the Land Title Registry, of the Lands Commission improperly exercised his powers of cancellation when he purportedly cancelled Land Title Certificate No. TD 9221 belonging to the Applicant who was neither a party to the Suit No. FAL 291/11 which produced the Ruling referred to supra that the Lands Commission purportedly relied upon to cancel Land Title Certificate No. TD 9221 in terms of the Wednesbury principle.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">BRIEF FACTS<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify