19990805 TZHC Tabora
The plaintiff proved delivery of goods and entitlement to payment. The defendant's internal authorization issues and allegations of fraud were unsupported by evidence. The defendant is liable for the outstanding amount, interest, and costs.
Source-derived case information.
- Citation
- 19990805 TZHC Tabora
- Parties
- Plaintiff: Elly Masawe t/a Elly Supplies; Defendant: Western Tobacco Growers Cooperative Union Ltd.
- Court
- TZHC
- Jurisdiction
- Tanzania
- Judgment Date
- 5 August 1999
- Procedural Posture
- Civil Case / Judgment
- Outcome
- Judgment for the plaintiff
- Legal Topics
- Sale of Goods, Breach of Contract, Agency, Vicarious Liability
- Source Language
- en
Source-derived case record
Summary, issues, holding and outcome
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Parties
Elly Masawe t/a Elly Supplies
Plaintiff
Western Tobacco Growers Cooperative Union Ltd.
Defendant
Procedural Posture
Civil Case / Judgment
Legal Issues
- 1 Whether the 6,000 pipes were delivered or there was a fraud in the alleged delivery
- 2 Whether the 4 million shillings was part payment for the pipes or full payment for the building materials
- 3 What reliefs are the parties entitled to
Ratio Decidendi
The plaintiff proved delivery of goods and entitlement to payment. The defendant's internal authorization issues and allegations of fraud were unsupported by evidence. The defendant is liable for the outstanding amount, interest, and costs.
Court Disposition
Judgment for the plaintiff
Orders
- Defendant to pay Shs.27,178,000 as principal amount
- Interest at 12.5% per annum on the principal from 1/6/96 until payment in full
Full Case Text
Judgment text and source record
1 paragraphs
... • . ~ . ..,....... ··. ~,~. . ... ..-_i INT~ HIGH COUri.T O'i' TAN.t.ANIA AT j7AJ>OtiA CIVIL CASli: N0.23 Uh' 1997 !; \-_. . /.~ EU.,~ MASAWE t/a ELLX SOFPLlES PLA.I.NTIFF WEST.i!,;kN TO.BACCO GkO~ERS CO-) . OP~t·IVE UltXOli LTDo - ~ . 0 O O 0 MCHONE, _Jo The plain.ti!f, £illy Masawe, trad.i.ng as Elly Supplies~ is suing the Defendant, Western ~.0158.cco Growers Cooperative Union, in short, W~TCU, for Shs~27,, 176,000/~, for goods supplied by ·, the plaintiff to the defendant. . _ The plaintiffs· case is that by various L .. Pouo&t• the defe- ndant ordered the plaintiff to .supply him with va:rious goods, including 6,000 pieces of flue pipes worth Shs.,2.7 millionso 200 bags of cement and 280 roofing shee~s, both worth S.hs.,3, 1bO,OOo/~"'• 40 bags o:f cement and 20 bags of limestone, known in kiswahili as 11 chokaa", l>otb, items val.ued at a total. - of Shs. 754,000/=o The plain.ti.ft' deman.ded payment by various invoices but he was paid only Shs~4r,000p000/11::o He Ji.s. n.ow suing for the balancee The defence -case is that the pl.fJti.nt.i.f.f' .s claims are not genuine. Those goods are alleged to have never reached the defendant. Do Wo1 P the Acti:o.g General !vl..anager claims that those delivery notes ~ i t s P.,2 and Po3 are not genuine. They were signed by thelr (de:fenda'lt 1 s) storelt.eeper one Luta Labia who is ~ow facing fraud charges in courto But D.W.1 admits that they ordered .for the Xlue-pipes and building material.a and paid 4 million shillings advance for the pipeso But he claims 'that these p~es were not received as the d.eli.very'notes do not bear the registration numbers of the vehicles which delivered themo The issues of this case as framed at the beginning of the hearing are: 1e Whether the 6,000 pipes were delivered or there was a fraud. ixi ·the ~,lleged del.tvery o . . ;. 2 2. Whether the 4 million .shil] in~ ~,..as part payment for th0 pipes .. or !ul1 payment for the building materials., 3. What reliefs are the parties enti.tled too -In his written submis..sion 9 learned counsel !or the defendant, Mro Boaz, alleges the c.ontra.cta were illegal as the defendant is not a.uthorlz~d, 'ft;o enter into a coni;ract of over 5()0p000/= without consult5.n[-£ the k.egi.straro With all due respect to the learned counsel~ this po.1.nt has neither "Qeen _:· pleaded nor testlfied upono .I't; ii:!i .improper to raise it onl.y at the final submissionso lf they entered into the contract without authority the defendants are still. liable to pay for it and not to enrich themselv12s by their own wrong-doing .. Now to the first issueo T.he plaintiff has testified that he delivered the flue pipeso He tend.ered delivery notes e.nd the transporters who actually transported them to the defenda= nt•s store., '£he defendant alleges the Delivery Notes do not bear the numbers of the vehiclea which delivered the gocdso This is alleged by DoWo1, to be one of the Regulations., But such regulations were never tendered in cou1-to The De.fenda.nt in the written Statement of Deience admits that the delivery notes were signed by the defe:n.dallt' a store-keeper't, But he alleges that it was fal.se entrieB at the behest of the plaintiffo But the auditor who allegedly foun.d that no pipes were-delive- red never came to testify o X-lor we.s his report tendered in court. The plain•ti:ff mat qu.ite probabl.y have <!.@livered the pipes and the defendan·t is, ato:re..-•k.r.:epe;r converted th~m to other uses. This would ILl.ake th(~ oef (;W1.s.nt~ ia'i:ill v.icariously liable for their employee 1 s acti..ons., The advao"lce payment for the pipes, of Shs,,4 milliona, which has- been admitted by DoYio 1 is further evid.en~e that the pi.peiS were delivered. So the first issue ls answered in the az:.fJsr.w.ati.ve on the first part and there is .no evidence of fraud on the allege_d delivery .. The second issue has a1ready been answeredo DoWe1 admit6 that the 4 million shillings was part payment for the pipes~ It can not be for the bull.ding r,ng1:~rials wh.ich had not even been ordered for. The voucher for the 4,000:000/~ ~ b i t Po5o clearly states that it was for LoPoUo Noo51981 which is the ~.P.O. for the pipes, Exhibit Po1o So the second issue is answered in ~he affinnative. As for the last iaaue~ it has be~ proved that plaintiff supplied those ;r.,.i.pes and buildL-ig materials. 3 - ,. He has been paid obly 4,000,000/= out of the 27,000,000/• for the pipes and nothing for the building materials. He is there- fore entitled to the due payment plus inten:st and.·coats. I therefore enter judgment for the plaintiff for:- 1. Shs.27,178,000/a principal amount. 2., Interest at 12 1/2 ~ per annum on the principal amount . from 1/6/96 till payment .in full. 3. Costa of this suit. L.B. MCHONE, JUOOE 24/6/99 Delivered in the presence •Of the Pl.ain:ti.f:f and Mr• . .. on behalf of WEi'CU. L.B. MCHOME, JUDGE 29/6/99 I ~ C~In THAT THIS IS A TH.UE COPY OF THE ORIGINAL JUDGMENT. S,B, :M\.WA, DISTRICT REGISTWut 5/8/99