who now has to plead and prove any defence by a preponderance of evidence”. See
FESTUS A.O. OGWUCHE v. FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA ECW/CCJ/JUD/02/18.
67. A claim that the Applicant’s title is defective based on a discrepancy in the first
names of the parties concerned alone is inadequate in this circumstance to convince
the Court to believe the Respondent’s claim that the Applicant is not the owner of
the said property. In addition to the claim of the defective title, a testimony in Court
by the alleged owner himself or a close family member to counter the Applicant’s
claim is indispensable. In the alternative where physical appearance is impracticable,
a deposition of a witness statement to that effect is vital to effectively rebut the
Applicant’s claim.
68. The Court recognises the representative capacity under which the Respondent
as a Member State is called upon to account for the acts of its agents, which primarily
focuses on the disposal of a property allegedly belonging to Siekhe Gueye. It
becomes more crucial that the testimony of the alleged owner of the disputed
property is a necessary component of the totality of the Respondent’s evidence more
so that the documentary evidence is equally challenged. Since the title document that
the Respondent relied on is challenged, the burden shifts on them to convince the
Court otherwise either by way of oral testimony of the alleged owner or via a witness
statement.
69. The challenge faced by the Respondent in producing the alleged owner- Siekhe
Gueye to testify is not farfetched. Having held that the aforementioned similarities
can only lead to a conclusion that Siekhe and Cheikh are one and the same person,
it follows that an invincible person cannot be produced. The Respondent has failed
to adduce further evidence to convince the Court to believe their claim. In this
26