The Supreme Court of Norway has dismissed Jongsbru AS's appeal against Ghana in a unanimous preliminary decision by a panel of three judges.
Jongsbru AS was previously ordered by the Norway Court of Appeal to pay Ghana compensation for legal costs before the District (High) Court and the Court of Appeal in November 2022.
The decision by the Norway Supreme Court is final and cannot be reviewed by any court. It marks the end of litigation over the purchase of a property in Oslo, which the Republic of Ghana had identified for use as a chancery building.
Ghana's Attorney-General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, expressed satisfaction with the decision, stating that all costs awarded in favour of Ghana would be paid by the losing party immediately, in accordance with Norwegian civil procedure.
Mr Dame also explained that any civil judgment of the Court of Appeal may be appealed to the Supreme Court, but a panel of three Supreme Court judges must first determine whether to allow the appeal to be heard.
The Norwegian Supreme Court only hears appeals on new or major issues of law, and not on matters concerning facts or evidence in a civil matter.
In its attempt to appeal, Jongsbru AS had contended that the Court of Appeal's reasoning was too short, vague, and contained deficiencies that rendered a proper appeal on the merits impossible.
The Court further ordered Jongsbru AS to compensate Ghana nominal legal costs before the Supreme Court for NOK 18 750 ($1,871).
The Attorney-General emphasized that the dispute had been ongoing for the past four years, travelling the full length of the architecture of Superior Courts in Norway, and all outstanding costs would be paid immediately.