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April 22, 1936
COURT OF APPEAL
NIGERIA
CORAM
The following judgment was delivered: WEBBER, C.]., SIERRA LEONE.
This case was taken to the Privy Council on appeal by P. H.
Williams, the surviving executor of the estate of J. R. Shanu, deceased.
On the motion before the full Court for leave to appeal, Counsel for respondent offered no opposition, but pointed out that the assets of the estate were to be safeguarded so that they were not used to prosecute the appeal. The full Court granted leave and made this order .
•• Subject to any order which may be made by His Majesty in Council the appellants shall not utilise the assets of the estate for the purpose of prosecuting this appeal."
The appellant and his co-executor, now deceased, entered into a bond holding themselves and sureties personally liable in the sum of £500 to abide costs of the appeal ..
The case was heard by the Privy Council and the appeal was dismissed and the surviving appellant was ordered to pay costs.
A motion was made before Graham Paul, J. :-
(1) For declaration that Williams was not personally liable for £209.
(2) That plaintiff-respondent should follow the estate distributed to the beneficiaries including the plaintiff, and (8) That Williams be allowed to pay by instalments and recover from beneficiaries.
Paul, J., held that the personal property of the mover (the appellant before the Privy Council) was not attachable under the judgment of the Privy Council and he ordered that the property attached should be released and gave to the mover the costs of the motion.
Against this order E. A. Shanu, the respondent before the Privy Council, appealed on four grounds, namely, that the learned Judge was wrong in law in holding that the costs awarded by His Majesty's Privy Council should be paid out of the estate of J. R. Shanu, deceased; that the learned Judge was wrong in law in not holding that the surviving appellant was liable personally for the costs to the plaintiff-respondent in accordance with the terms of the bond entered into by him; and that the learned Judge was not competent to add to the judgment of the Privy Council the words payable out of the estate" and that the appellant was now precluded from moving the Court as to costs, he not having prayed the Privy Council that such costs should be borne out of the estate.
All these grounds were argued together and the only question in this appeal is : . How is the order as to costs made by the Privy Council to be construed? My answer to this is, if the Privy Council
AI Generated Summary
P. H. Williams, surviving executor of J. R. Shanu’s estate, appealed to the Privy Council. The Full Court granted leave while ordering that estate assets not be used to prosecute the appeal. Williams and his co‑executor executed a £500 bond binding themselves personally for costs. The Privy Council dismissed the appeal and ordered costs against the surviving appellant. Williams then sought relief before Graham Paul, J., contending he was not personally liable, that costs should come from the estate and its beneficiaries, and requesting payment by instalments. Paul, J. held Williams’s property not attachable and released attached property, awarding him costs. On appeal by E. A. Shanu, the appellate court, per WEBBER, C.J., held the Privy Council’s costs order was unambiguous and, absent express direction, could not charge the estate. It reversed Paul, J.’s order, allowed the appeal, awarded costs to Shanu, and left instalments to be considered by the lower court; KINGDON and PETRIDES concurred.