GLADYS MENSAH vs. STEPHEN MENSAH [2012]DLSC2608

Date	2012-02-22
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. J4/20/2011
Citation No.	[2012]DLSC2608

AKUFFO (MS) JSC (PRESIDING)

DATE-BAH JSC

ADINYIRA (MRS) JSC

DOTSE JSC

AKOTO-BAMFO (MRS) JSC

SOMUAH ASAMOAH FOR THE APPELLANT.

ROBERTSON KPATSA FOR THE RESPONDENT.

[2012]DLSC2608
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >GLADYS
MENSAH<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>STEPHEN MENSAH<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. J4/20/2011&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: 22ND
FEBRUARY, 2012<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>SOMUAH
ASAMOAH FOR THE APPELLANT.<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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ROBERTSON
KPATSA FOR THE RESPONDENT. <o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM: <o:p></o:p>AKUFFO (MS) JSC (PRESIDING), DATE-BAH JSC,
ADINYIRA (MRS) JSC, DOTSE JSC, AKOTO-BAMFO (MRS) JSC<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border-top:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;border:none;
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</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>JONES
DOTSE JSC;<o:p></o:p>Lord Denning in his book, “Landmarks in the Law”
Butterworths, 1954, writes at page 176 “on
change in attitude of the British people to Divorce” as follows:<o:p></o:p>“There is no longer any binding knot for marriage. There is only a loose
piece of string which the parties can untie at will. Divorce is not a stigma.
It has become respectable. One parent families abound.”<o:p></o:p>The above quotation can equally be said to be
applicable to the Ghanaian society as well. <o:p></o:p>In the instant case since the parties are not
contesting the issue of divorce, but only devolution of property acquired
during the subsistence of the marriage upon divorce, we will focus our
attention to those issues. <o:p></o:p>What then are the facts in this case? In view of
the importance that this court attaches to the legal and constitutional issues
determinable in this case, we have considered it worthwhile to narrate in great
detail, not only the facts of the case, but the reasons behind the trial court
decision as well as the dismissal of the appeal by the Court of Appeal. <o:p></o:p>This will
necessarily lead to a discussion of the principles upon which concurrent
findings of fact by a trial and first appellate court can be set aside or
departed from by this court, i.e. second appellate court, as we have indeed
being requested to do.<o:p></o:p>FACTS<o:p></o:p>This is an appeal from the judgment of the Court
of Appeal dated 23/7/2009 which affirmed the judgment of the High Court dated
the 31st January 2003. In a petition filed on the 20th of
April 2000, the Petitioner/Respondent/Respondent (hereinafter Petitioner)
averred that she and the Respondent/Appellant/Appellant (hereinafter
Respondent) were married under customary law in March of 1989 and converted to
a marriage under the Ordinance in June of 1989. It however emerged from the
evidence that the parities got married in 1987. About a decade after the
celebration of this union, cracks started appearing in the marriage with the
Petitioner accusing the Respondent of acts of infidelity which culminated in
the Respondent moving into their jointly acquired home in Adenta with his
illicit lover giving credence to the Petitioner’s allegations. After diligent
efforts at reconciliation had failed, the Petitioner filed her petition for
divorce at the High Court.<o:p></o:p>That the parties also acquired substantial assets
during the subsistence of the marriage cannot be under emphasised. These the
Petitioner listed in her petition as follows;<o:p></o:p>1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Unnumbered
three bedroom house at Kasoa<o:p></o:p>2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Unnumbered
six bedroom house at Adenta<o:p></o:p>3.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Unnumbered
four bedroom house at Krobo Odumasi<o:p></o:p>4.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Unnumbered
three bedroom house on Spintex Road<o:p></o:p>