Court dismisses appeal filed by Drobo Trad. Council

The Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal filed by the Drobo Traditional Council in the Jaman South District of the Brong-Ahafo Region, challenging a ruling by an Appeal Court.

The Appeals Court ruled on a protracted land dispute between the Drobo Traditional Council it and the Japekrom Traditional Council.

In 2012, the Appeal Court in Kumasi presided by Irene C. Danquah, Mariama Owusu and Justice Francis Korbieh, unanimously ruled that the Drobo Traditional Council had no allodial title to a large expanse of land, which shared borders with Dormaa-Ahenkro, Berekum and Ivory Coast as it claimed.

The ruling followed an appeal filed by the Japekrom Traditional Council, over a Sunyani High Court judgment, which declared Drobo Traditional Council owner of New Drobo Township, including the disputed land.

Justice E. A. Assan, who was the then High Court Judge, sat on the matter, and declared that the townships of Japekrom and Kwasibourkrom belonged to the Japekrom Traditional Council.

Not satisfied with the Appeal Court’s decision on the land dispute, which had been a bone of contention between the twin-towns, the Drobo Traditional Council filed a civil appeal at the Supreme Court.

But the Supreme Court stated in its ruling that “from all the foregoing it is quite clear that the concurrent findings of the High Court and the Court of Appeal are solidly based both in fact and law and the appeal is therefore dismissed”.

According the verdict, which was made available to the Ghana News Agency on Tuesday, five Supreme Court Judges – W.A Atuguba, J Ansah, V. J.M Dotse, Anin Yeboah and V. Akoto Bamfo (Mrs) unanimously agreed on the decision.

It stated that “the trial court held that though the Drobohene might have some residual interest in the disputed land, he failed to prove its nature and extent and therefore dismissed his claim thereto”.