LINDA AKOTO vs BRIGHT KWESI MANU [2015]DLHC16225

Date	2015-12-18
Suit No.	BDMC 262/2015
Citation No.	[2015]DLHC16225

HER LADYSHIP JUSTICE AKUA SARPOMAA AMOAH (MRS.)

GEORGE TETTEH WAYOE

NAA DJAMAH AYIKOI OTOO

[2015]DLHC16225
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >LINDA AKOTO<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoListParagraph" align="center" style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:0cm;
margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:-.85pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;
text-align:center;text-indent:-36.0pt;line-height:115%">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; (PETITIONER)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>BRIGHT KWESI MANU<o:p></o:p>(RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>[HIGH
COURT OF JUSTICE (COMMERCIAL DIVISION) ACCRA]<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;<div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">

BDMC
262/2015&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;18TH
DECEMBER 2015<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>GEORGE TETTEH WAYOE FOR PETITIONER
PRESENT<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
115%;tab-stops:9.0pt 42.55pt center 236.25pt;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:
solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">NAA DJAMAH AYIKOI OTOO FOR RESPONDENT PRESENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM<o:p></o:p>HER
LADYSHIP JUSTICE AKUA SARPOMAA AMOAH (MRS.)<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top-width: 1.5pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-left: none; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-right: none; padding: 1pt 0cm;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;border:none;
mso-border-top-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>The Petitioner seeks a dissolution of
the marriage celebrated between herself and the Respondent on the grounds that
the Respondent during the pendency of their twelve (12) year marriage has
deserted the Petitioner and treated her with cruelty.&nbsp; Even though not expressly stated, Petitioner
appears to accuse the Respondent of adultery in paragraph 18 of her petition.<o:p></o:p>The Respondent though duly served with
the petition opted not to file an answer because according to his counsel they
had “no
objection to the petition”.<o:p></o:p>Both counsel for Respondent and
Petitioner, therefore prayed, at the commencement of the trial for an order for
dissolution of the marriage pending an agreement being reached by the parties
on the ancillary reliefs.&nbsp; This court
however declined the said invitation in the light of Section 2(3) of the
Matrimonial Causes Act, Act 367 which enjoins this court only to grant a
petition for divorce after is has been satisfied on all the evidence that there
has been an irreconcilable breakdown
of the marriage.&nbsp; See DONKOR
VS. DONKOR (1982-83) GLR 1156, IDDISAH VS. IDDISAH (SUIT NO. H/1/164/11 CIVIL
APPEAL DATED 11TH NOVEMBER, 2011.<o:p></o:p>Both Petitioner and Respondent are
Ghanaians who were married customarily in 2004 which marriage was subsequently
registered in 2014. There are two (2) children of the marriage namely, Godrine
Sarfo and Albright Achiaa aged 11and 8 respectively at the time of the filing
of the petition.<o:p></o:p>The Petition further reveals that the
Petitioner, a beautician by profession is ordinarily resident in Ghana whereas
the Respondent who is a businessman, is ordinarily resident in Holland. <o:p></o:p>The relevant portions of the petition
disclose the following facts:<o:p></o:p>“(15) That the marriage between the
parties has broken down beyond reconciliation.<o:p></o:p>(16) That the particulars of the
breakdown are&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
(a) The Respondent has deserted the Petitioner<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
(b) The Respondent treats the Petitioner with cruelty.<o:p></o:p>(18)
That the Respondent lives with another woman in Holland and so does not see the
need to live with Petitioner.<o:p></o:p>(19)
That for the past twelve (12) years, the Petitioner a young woman of 32 has
lived a married life without a husband at home but a husband at a distance in
the arms of another woman, only to come to Ghana for some three (3) weeks and
to go back to his mistress and that has been the Petitioner’s distress for the
past twelve (12) years of marriage.<o:p></o:p>