DR. OWUSU AFRIYIE AKOTO vs. ADWOA ABREFI AKOTO [2010]DLSC2543

Date	2010-02-23
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. J4/24/2010
Citation No.	[2010]DLSC2543

ATUGUBA J.S.C (PRESIDING)

AKUFFO (MS) J.S.C.

ANIN-YEBOAH J.S.C.

GBADEGBE J.S.C.

AKOTO-BAMFO (MRS)J.S.C.

PETER OKUDZETO FOR THE PETITIONER/APPELLANT/APPELLANT

GAYLORD KEMOVOR FOR THE RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT

[2010]DLSC2543
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >DR. OWUSU AFRIYIE AKOTO<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>ADWOA ABREFI AKOTO<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;[SUPREME COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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CIVIL APPEAL NO. J4/24/2010 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
DATE: 23RD
FEBRUARY, 2011<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>PETER OKUDZETO FOR THE PETITIONER/APPELLANT/APPELLANT.<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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GAYLORD
KEMOVOR FOR THE RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT.<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM: <o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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ATUGUBA, J.S.C (PRESIDING) AKUFFO
(MS), J.S.C. ANIN-YEBOAH, J.S.C. GBADEGBE, J.S.C. AND AKOTO-BAMFO (MRS), J.S.C.<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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JUDGEMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>ATUGUBA, J.S.C:<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The facts of this case as gleaned from
the Petitioner / Appellant /Appellant’s statement of case and the judgment of
the court of appeal are as follows:&nbsp; The
Appellant and the Respondent who were husband and wife got married by custom in
July 1974.&nbsp; The marriage was converted
into a monogamous marriage under ordinance in Cambridge England on July 16,
1976.&nbsp; After the said marriage the couple
cohabitated mainly in the United Kingdom and apparently had a blissful
relationship that was blessed with three issues from 1974-1997, when the
Respondent discovered two letters that caused the otherwise blissful marriage
to unravel leading to the Appellant filing for divorce on August 29, 1997 while
the Respondent was still in England.&nbsp;
Nineteen days later the Respondent filed a Cross Petition for the
dissolution of the marriage and other ancillary reliefs which included
properties both within and outside the jurisdiction, as follows:<o:p></o:p>“(a) &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; dissolving
the marriage,<o:p></o:p>(b)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; declaring her a joint beneficial owner of
House No. 38/39 BLK 01/115 East Legon, Accra<o:p></o:p>(c)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; declaring her a joint beneficial ownder of
5 Kingsfield Road, EALING W5 ILD London, U.K.<o:p></o:p>(d)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; declaring her a joint beneficial owner of
18 Chatsworth Avenue Wembley Middlesex U.K.<o:p></o:p>(e)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; declaring that she is entitled to one half
of the net income from the rent of 5 Kingsfiled Road EALING W5 ILD London, a
property jointly owned by both parties,<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;
(f)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; that the Appellant pays
her a lump sum settlement<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;
(g)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; that the Appellant
maintains the children of the marriage<o:p></o:p>&nbsp; (h)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; that
she be given custody of Owusu Akoto Jnr. the Minor child with reasonable &nbsp;access to the Appellant, and<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;
(i)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; that she be granted such
other reliefs as the Court may deem fit.”<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The Respondent was successful both in
the High Court and the Court of Appeal. &nbsp;The areas of the appellant’s dissatisfaction
are as stated per Aduama-Osei J.A delivering the judgment of the Court of
Appeal at p. 623 of the Record of appeal as follows:<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; “the settled principle which he Appellant
contends have been disturbed by the trial court are in two areas: one is in
respect of the jurisdiction of the court over immovable properties situated
abroad and one in respect of the separate legal existence of a limited
liability company from its members.&nbsp; We
find therefore that in their Written Submissions, Counsel for the Appellant
question the jurisdiction of the trial court to deal with immovable properties
situated in the United Kingdom, outside its jurisdiction and also question the
validity of the trial court’s order giving the Respondent certain properties
registered in the name of limited liability companies of which the Respondent
was neither a shareholder nor a director.&nbsp;
The Appellant also invites this Court to review the trial court’s award
of £150,000.00 in favour of the Respondent as financial settlement, as well as
the cost of ¢80,000,000.00 awarded the Respondent.”<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>Accordingly
the appellant’s grounds of appeal to this court are as follows:<o:p></o:p>“(i)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Court of Appeal erred in law when it
confirm</main>