DAVID AYIKU AWOTWI vs. MRS. MARIA FRANCESCA AWOTWI [2016]DLCA4622

Date	2016-02-18
Suit No.	SUIT NO: H1/23/2015
Citation No.	[2016]DLCA4622

KANYOKE J.A. (PRESIDING)

ADUAMA OSEI J.A.

WELBOURNE (MRS) J.A.

GODWIN M. SACKEY FOR PETITIONER/APPELLANT

DODJI DADJO FOR RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT

[2016]DLCA4622
																																						<div class="restriction-wrapper">
														<div class="container-lg">
															<div class="row">
																<div class="col-md-12 restricted-content">
																	<div class="restricted-content-img-wrapper">
																		<div class="lock-icon bounce-7">
																			<img class=""
																				src="https://www.dennislawgh.com/dl-assets/dl-images/lock-content.png"
																				alt="Subscription based content">
																		</div>
																	</div>
																	 
																		<a href="https://www.dennislawgh.com/login"
																		class="btn btn-primary btn-lg"
																		style="font-family: 'open sans'; text-transform: capitalize; border-radius: 8px"> 
																		Login to Read Full Case </a>
																	 
																	
																</div>
															</div>
														</div>
													</div>
													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >DAVID AYIKU AWOTWI<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;(PETITIONER/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>MRS. MARIA FRANCESCA AWOTWI<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;(RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>[COURT OF APPEAL, ACCRA]<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">

SUIT
NO: H1/23/2015&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; &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:
18TH FEBRUARY, 2016<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>GODWIN M. SACKEY FOR
PETITIONER/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">

DODJI
DADJO FOR 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;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

KANYOKE J.A.&nbsp; (PRESIDING),
ADUAMA OSEI J.A., WELBOURNE (MRS) J.A.<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;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>WELBOURNE
(MRS), J.A.<o:p></o:p>This is an appeal against
the Ruling of the High Court dated 5th June, 2012. For ease of
reference the parties will be known as Petitioner and Respondent in this
appeal.<o:p></o:p>The
background facts:<o:p></o:p>On 19th
November 1991, the Petitioner, David Ayiku Awotwi filed a divorce petition
against Maria Francesca Awotwi the Respondent/Respondent seeking an order to
annul the marriage between the parties and for the grant of custody to the children
in the marriage. The Respondent opposed the granting of the Petition but asked
for financial and property settlement upon dissolution.<o:p></o:p>The matter travelled over
a period of fourteen (14) years under different judges until 20th February,
2006 when the court presided over by H/L Justice Lartey Young dissolved the
marriage between the parties and granted the divorce order.<o:p></o:p>The court made no orders
as to the ancillary reliefs but ordered that any party who was interested in
any ancillary matter to pursue same within Twenty-one (21) days after the
dissolution (this can be found at page 158 of the Record of Appeal).<o:p></o:p>The Divorce Certificate
issued to the parties is found at page 159 of the Record of Appeal. No other
ancillary proceedings were pursued by either party. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<o:p></o:p>The parties had five children.
The children remained in the care and custody of the Petitioner as they had
been since the separation of the parties and the filing of the divorce
proceedings in November, 1991.<o:p></o:p>On 9th
November, 2006, the Petitioner re-married Ms. Doris Nana Ama Akosah at the
Registrar General’s Department in Accra. A year later on the 10th
November, 2007, the Petitioner died Testate. His last Will and Testament was
read at the High Court, Accra. The Executors named in the Will applied for and
obtained probate on 11th February, 2008 (see pages 214-219 of the
Record of Appeal).<o:p></o:p>In November, 2011, the Respondent
applied to the High Court to substitute the Petitioner with the executors of
his Estate.<o:p></o:p>The Respondent’s case to
the court was that she was not notified before the dissolution of the marriage
in 2006 and that the divorce was therefore irregular and void. Her application however
did not seek an order to set aside the divorce order. In her supporting
affidavit, the Respondent also claimed that she was the Petitioner of the
divorce matter; she deposed that she has an interest in the deceased Petitioner’s
estate and that by the “Petition”, she asked for one of the houses of the deceased
to be given to her as property settlement.<o:p></o:p>The High Court granted the
application and ordered the Executors to be substituted for the Petitioner in
this matter. The High Court also suo motu declared that the divorce order dated
20th February, 2006 was void.<o:p></o:p>Dissatisfied with the
Ruling, the Executors applied to this court and obtained an order to stay the
divorce matter pending the determination of this appeal.<o:p></o:p>The grounds of Appeal are quoted
below as follows: <o:p></o:p>