HAPPEE vs. HAPPEE AND ANOTHER [1974]DLHC2284

Date	1974-05-30
Suit No.
Citation No.	[1974]DLHC2284

EDUSEI J.

C. M. CANN FOR THE PETITIONER.

DR. E. V. C. DE GRAFT-JOHNSON FOR THE RESPONDENT.

[1974]DLHC2284
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: center; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span lang="en-GH" style="font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;color:#00B0F0;mso-fareast-language:#0C00">HAPPEE<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: center; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span lang="en-GH" style="font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;color:#00B0F0;mso-fareast-language:#0C00">vs.<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: center; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span lang="en-GH" style="font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;color:#00B0F0;mso-fareast-language:#0C00">HAPPEE
AND ANOTHER<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: center; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[HIGH COURT, SEKONDI]<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom: 1.5pt solid windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">

</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5pt; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp;<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">C. M. CANN FOR THE
PETITIONER.<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom: 1.5pt solid windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; border: none; padding: 0cm;">DR. E. V. C. DE GRAFT-JOHNSON FOR THE RESPONDENT.<o:p></o:p>

</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; line-height: 15.55pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">CORAM:<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom: 1.5pt solid windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; border: none; padding: 0cm;">EDUSEI J.<o:p></o:p>

</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">&nbsp;JUDGMENT
OF EDUSEI J.<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">The petitioner in this case
is a marine engineer and is a native of the Netherlands whilst the respondent
is a Ghanaian by birth. On 21 July 1951 the petitioner married the respondent
at the Sekondi District Marriage Registry, and they lived together as man and
wife at Sekondi and Takoradi until in 1968 or 1969 when they separated and
lived apart. The petitioner has been ordinarily resident in Ghana since 1947,
though he occasionally visits his native country on holidays.<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">&nbsp;<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Though the petitioner is
domiciled in the Netherlands this court is seised with jurisdiction to
determine his petition for divorce since he had been ordinarily resident in
this country for over 25 years at the time he presented his petition in
February 1972. The matrimonial jurisdiction in the instant petition of the
court is set out in section 31 of the Matrimonial Causes Act, 1971 (Act 367),
as follows:<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 5pt 36pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">“The court shall have jurisdiction in any proceedings under this Act
whether either party to the marriage –