20001116 TZHC Dar es Salaam 1
Leave of court is mandatory before suing a specified public corporation under receivership, regardless of its trading status. The claim for subsistence allowance is not res judicata as it arose after the plaintiff's earlier claims and after failure by the defendant to repatriate the plaintiff.
Source-derived case information.
- Citation
- 20001116 TZHC Dar es Salaam 1
- Parties
- Applicant: Joyce Mwibongo; Respondent: The General Manager, Kunduchi Beach Hotel Ltd
- Court
- TZHC
- Jurisdiction
- Tanzania
- Judgment Date
- 16 November 2000
- Procedural Posture
- Civil Case / Ruling on Preliminary Objections
- Outcome
- Preliminary objections allowed in part
- Legal Topics
- Leave to Sue Specified Public Corporation, Res Judicata, Official Receiver Powers
- Source Language
- en
Source-derived case record
Summary, issues, holding and outcome
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Parties
Joyce Mwibongo
Applicant
The General Manager, Kunduchi Beach Hotel Ltd
Respondent
Procedural Posture
Civil Case / Ruling on Preliminary Objections
Legal Issues
- 1 Whether leave of court is required before suing a specified public corporation under receivership
- 2 Whether the claim is res judicata
Ratio Decidendi
Leave of court is mandatory before suing a specified public corporation under receivership, regardless of its trading status. The claim for subsistence allowance is not res judicata as it arose after the plaintiff's earlier claims and after failure by the defendant to repatriate the plaintiff.
Court Disposition
Preliminary objections allowed in part
Orders
- Leave of court is necessary before filing such a claim against the defendant
- Objection on res judicata is rejected
Full Case Text
Judgment text and source record
1 paragraphs
IN THE HIGH COURT OF Ti;J-TZJ,J·TIA ,... AT DAi.~ ZS SALAf.J'i CIVI~ CA8~ NO. 276 OF 1996 JOYCE I1'WI30NGO • • •• • ••••••• APPLICJ..J'JT V E r:. S ·u C THE GENERAL MANh.GZR IWNDUCHI DEACH HOTEL LT1 1 ., , RZSPOlJif.::NT RULING :CUDESHI ,' J • I course of heqring this clqim, counsel for the de:fend-"lnt hqs rqised preliminqry objections on points of lqw, nqmely:- thqt leave o:f this court hqs not been obt~ined prior to suing the 2nd defendqnt thqt the claims qre resju.:2.ic:'..b been the dispute, if l'!ny, ha~/;.;•rou.;ht to court prem;:\turely. Mr. Mtuncwq le~rned counsel appe~ring for the plaintiff h;:is c.cun±,.:orcd the objections r.qize·d. He bru:; su'.::lmi tted thl'l t as the 1st /J.efendqnt is still tr.<=iclin.~,-so to speqk, the provisions of I section 9 (1} o:f Cqp 25 c:'lnnot llpply.. He bqs st:=ited th.~t by being spGcified, the defend:::int h-"ls oot lost its ·-leg.=:t l personq li ty , inclu::iing powers of suinE qnJ being sued.· Th:'lt wh~t the speci:fieC: corporA.tions :'lre supposed to do i8 to c.qrry out their duties in A.Ccorc1~rnce with its st:::t te·r.,ent of corpori:i. te ~.:.:,_-y :'IS perrS.ecti:0n 42 of .1.i.ct 16 of J~iiaV~cff 1993. Mr. Lugut-1.q ~dded further th::i t .q corpor:::i tior is_/ b~nkrupt ::\:fter the PSRC hl'lS, in course of restructuri:,g, recommended it to be bA.nkrupt. According to Mr.· Lu:'.;trn;:i the jefeny;;int w.qs still tr.=:t::'iint; hence there w.qs no need ' ' to proceed under~- 9 (1) of the D.qnkrupt Ordinqnce :for purposes of obtA.ining le~ve. He is of the firm vie1,1 tb~t the defendA.nt w~s not b~nkrupt. on r-c,sjudioat-e_ , Mr. Lucuw.q hA.s submitted th::t t the cVt im of subsistence allow::tnce Wi"!.S not in issu~ ;1hen the pVlint".i.f:f filed her eqrlier cV:tims. T:b:=it the cl<:dm .q;iout subsistence A.llow.qnce becP.me ::..1ue ::i.fter the pb:dntiff h:-:t~l successfully cl1:'lllenged the su;n;n:::iry dismi~s.=:tl, A.nd then the issue of' repqrtri::i. tion Allowqnce becqme due. \ 2 Is le.qve necessAry before the pl~ otiff CA.n file ::i c1~1m .qg-:=\inst the defend:rn.t? I think yes. I sqy so bec.quse once tbe defend-'¼nt becA.me specified 9 ti1e · PG:.:c autom:::i. ticF\ 1 ly assuumed the role of offici,ql receiver- s.43 (1) (b) of l~ct 16/1993. The effect_of these provisions wqs to plqce All properties of ~ specified public corpor.o,tion under the PSRC, interms of section 9 of Cap 25. In my reqciin;; of thq t l::iw no distinc_tion w~s mqde between ::i. non ~erfor~ing ::ind q performing corpor.qtion AS Mr. Lugt..~J::i is .qttempting to expl.qin. Indeed A. simil::ir point Arose in the cqse of S/..ID MJ:Jll-DO ~.c OT:-:~:::~:.; VS. 3Tl.. 'I'E TRAVEL Sf:;RVICE LTD /.J,JD TOUT~ISH Si£I(.VICES ThE::..,t..NIL - CIVIL Cf.. 3E 296 of 1997 • Hy brother Judc~e K::;.lcgeyP. w.qs ::>:f the vie1rJ tb:=tt the PSf(C WAS cre~ted by S43 of Ii.ct 16/1993 to be A. speciql offici::i.l receiver in terms of section 9 of.C.qp 25 so AS to sqve the propertie$ of specified public corporPJ.tiotls from~ bqrrqge of cl::\ims from r-tll wouL:1 be crodi tors. No distin.ction w:=ts m-"'it1e between tbose corporq tion.s th::i. t were under liquicJ:i. tion or restructuring. I ::i.:;.ree therefore th::i t le:=-tve to suo the PSRC w::is to be sought qnd obt~ined. I u hold th.qt point of objection. W·rn the clqim resjudicqte? Indeed qccording to her own pli=lint filed p~ra (3) the pl::\inti:ff \s/93 termin:=ited upon her own ~pplicqtion to be r.etircd pre.ma-tu.rely Th.PJ.t she \-Jl'IG clqiming 'for her tor;nimil benefits.para 7 of the r;l:=.int, the pl:dn-tuff states thqt while sb0 w~s w~iting to be repqrtriqted to her pl::ice of domicile, she :, lso clq ime::-1 for subsisten7; l low~nce. I think this cl::iim in wili.:J :,n-:: c.::irmot be resjudicA.tA.. If the pl:::i.intiff h::id been pqid off immedi:,tely her rep.qrtri~tion ;:illow.;:;ince, the -issue of cl::dming for subsistence could not h;:ive ;:;irisen. 1:..r..:~ the pV'lintiff coulcj not have filod for this clqim if repq tri.::i tion ? llol~:::ince J1qc1 been p::i.id - pqrq 7 of' th0- pl:=1int. To th 9. t end this court is of the vi.ew thq t such ::i Cl;\ im / c::i.nnot be t0rmed resjudicqt~ ::is i t ~rose P.fter fqilure by the defen:l~nt to ropqrtri.qte ·the plAintiff. Mind_ you the defcmd~nt in his \"Tritten St::i.temeo't o:f Defence dic1 not ch::i.llenge the content.en-'· ·/ of p::i.rqs 7 ::i.nd O cif'the pl~inte I reject this obj8ctio~. • 3 In the fin~l event the objectiona r~ised qre Allowed in p::i.rt to the extent thqt le.qve o:f this court is necess::try bofore filing for such .q cl.:=tim :1.g.:=t 1 6/ J. 1/ 2000 Delivered before Mr. HaUGGO for De:fen::1"1 n ts Plqintiff qbsent.