IN RE ASANTE (DECD.); ASANTE AND ANOTHER vs. OWUSU [1992]DLCA2030

Date	1992-04-02
Suit No.
Citation No.	[1992]DLCA2030

ESSIEM JA

ADJABENG JA

FORSTER J.A.

SAM OKUDZETO (WITH HIM AMEGATCHER) FOR THE APPELLANT.

D. O. LAMPTEY FOR THE RESPONDENT.

[1992]DLCA2030
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B0F0">IN RE ASANTE (DECD.); ASANTE AND ANOTHER<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B0F0">vs.<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B0F0">OWUSU<o:p></o:p>[COURT OF APPEAL, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p>[1992] 1 GLR 119<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="right" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:right;
mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">Date: 2 APRIL
1992<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>SAM OKUDZETO (WITH HIM AMEGATCHER) FOR THE APPELLANT.<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

D. O. LAMPTEY FOR THE RESPONDENT. <o:p></o:p>

ESSIEM, ADJABENG AND FORSTER JJ.A. <o:p></o:p>

</div>JUDGMENT OF ESSIEM J.A.<o:p></o:p>The late Major (Rtd.) Kwame Asante died leaving a widow whom he
had married under the Marriage Ordinance, Cap. 127 (1951 Rev.). As it is well
known the said Ordinance governs monogamous marriages.<o:p></o:p>It appears from the evidence that the late Major (Rtd.) Asante did
not observe the strict monogamous nature of the type of marriage he engaged in
because he had issues with other women. One of such women is the respondent in
this appeal. After the death of the late Major (Rtd.) Asante his wife Mrs.
Letitia Asante and a son, Yaw Asante (an adult), applied ex parte under Order
60 of the High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 1954 (L.N. 140A) for the grant of
letters of administration. The application was granted by the High Court, coram
Kyemenu-Caiquo J. The court took notice of the fact that the late Major Kwame
Asante was survived by six children who were minors. On 5 February 1991 Mr. D.
O. Lamptey as solicitor filed a “notice to prohibit grant of probate or
administration” on behalf of Miss Mary Owusu of house No. 14, Tesano, Accra.
Notice of this caveat was served on the said Mrs. Letitia Asante and Yaw
Asante. In her affidavit disclosing her interest in the estate of the deceased,
Miss Mary Owusu disclosed that the deceased had during his lifetime two
children by her who were minors. In paragraphs (3)-(5) of her affidavit Miss
Mary Owusu deposed:<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">“(3) That the names and ages of the children do not appear in the
affidavits in support of the applicants’ application for letters of
administration. <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(4) That since the two children the deceased had by me prior to
his death are minors it will be just and convenient and serve the ends of
justice that I their natural mother be joined as administratrix to the
applicants for letters of administration to enable the interests of the
children to be adequately and justly protected. <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(5) That Mrs. Letitia Asante, lives in the United Kingdom; the
bulk of the deceased’s estate is in Ghana; it is hard to imagine how Mrs.
Letitia Asante can effectively and conveniently manage the estate of the late
Major (Rtd.) Kwame Asante from the United Kingdom where Mrs. Letitia Asante
lives and works.”<o:p></o:p>She continued in the subsequent paragraphs to disclose other
properties which the original applicants for letters of administration did not
disclose to the court. By paragraph (8) of her supporting affidavit, the ages
of the two children of the caveatrix, Miss Mary Owusu, were given as ten and
nine years as at 12 February 1991.<o:p></o:p>The affidavit of Mrs. Letitia Asante shows that the two children
of the caveatrix were included in the deceased’s children when the original
application for the grant of letters of administration was made. Before the
court could decide on the application of the caveatrix, one Philip Asante who
claimed to be a brother of the deceased and the customary successor to the
deceased also applied to the court “to join the wife of the deceased to apply
for letters of administration.”<o:p></o:p>The court ruled on 14 June 1991 that letters of administration be
granted to Mrs. Letitia Asante, Yaw Asante, Mary Owusu and Philip Asante. It is
against this decision of the court that this appeal has been lodged. The main
objection is to the inclusion of Mary Owusu among the persons to whom letters
of administration has been granted.<o:p></o:p>Order 2, r. 7 of the Probate and Administration Rules, 1991 (L.I.
1515) deals with “priority of grant” where the deceased was married under the
Ordinance or Cap. 127. The said rule 7 states:<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">“7. Where the deceased died intestate on or after 14th June, 1985
then the order of priority for grant of letters of administration shall be as
follows—<o:p></o:p>