DANIEL ARMOOH v. HFC BANK GHANA LIMITED
2019
HIGH COURT
GHANA
CORAM
- HIS LORDSHIP JUSTICE KWEKU T. ACKAAH-BOAFO
Areas of Law
- Employment Law
- Evidence Law
- Tort Law
2019
HIGH COURT
GHANA
CORAM
AI Generated Summary
In this case, Plaintiff Daniel Kwame A. Armooh sued HFC Bank Ghana Limited for wrongful dismissal, malicious prosecution, and related claims after being terminated and publicly denounced in newspaper disclaimers while facing criminal charges, of which he was later acquitted. The Court found that the Plaintiff's arrest and prosecution were initiated by the police and not by unjust actions from the Defendant Bank. However, the Plaintiff's termination was deemed wrongful as no proven misconduct was shown and the necessary disciplinary procedures weren't followed. The Defendant was found liable for causing emotional distress through their defamatory publication. Consequently, the Plaintiff was awarded damages for wrongful dismissal and emotional distress, while his claim for economic and professional damages was dismissed.
JUDGEMENT
i. Introduction:
[1] The Defendant Bank, HFC Bank Ghana Limited now known and called “The Republic Bank” published a disclaimer on Thursday October 22, 2009 in the Ghanaian Times and repeated same in the Daily Graphic on Thursday October 28, 2009 with the photograph of the Plaintiff Daniel Kwame A. Armooh to the effect that he had ceased to work for them and therefore “anyone who transacts business with him in the name of the Bank does so at his or her own risk”. At that time the Plaintiff had been charged following a complaint of forgery lodged by the Defendant with the Police and was been tried for conspiracy to commit fraud and forgery at the Circuit Court. The Plaintiff had also been notified by the Defendant that he had been dismissed. In this suit which is for wrongful dismissal, malicious prosecution etc., Mr. Armoph contends that the publication was actuated by malice because the publication caused him emotional distress and also prevented him from gaining employment with any banking institution in the last nine years. He has therefore called on this Court to award damages against the Defendant for its actions.
[2] The Plaintiff’s case is that whilst working with the Defendant Company on or about 30th July 2009, upon the instructions of the Defendant Bank’s employee he boarded a vehicle and was driven by the said employee to the Adabraka Police Station in Accra. According to him after waiting for a very long time he was questioned by a Police Officer on an allegation of an attempt to defraud the Bank of huge sums of money. He pleaded that despite his vehement denial he was charged by the police and in September 2009 he together with another person were arraigned before the Circuit Court Accra on charges of conspiracy and attempt to commit fraud and he was charged alone with the offence of forgery. According to the Plaintiff prior to the trial in August 2009 he was placed on interdiction by the Defendant pending investigation into the allegations against him.
[3]. Plaintiff avers while the trial was pending, the Defendant on two consecutive occasions published his photograph in both the Ghanaian Times and Daily Graphic newspapers accompanied with words to the effect that the general public should refrain from transacting business with him on behalf of the Bank and that anyone who did business with him did so at his own risk. The Plaintiff further averred that even though the Defendant Bank was convicted for Contempt and ordered t