THERESA OWUO vs. FRANCIS OWUO [2016]DLCA5344

Date	2016-06-16
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL N0: H1/46/2014
Citation No.	[2016]DLCA5344

M. OWUSU JA (PRESIDING)

A. M. DORDZIE JA

S. DZAMEFE JA

MR. PROSPER NYAHE FOR APPELLANT

RESPONDENT IN PERSON

[2016]DLCA5344
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >THERESA OWUO<o:p></o:p>(PETITIONER / APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>FRANCIS OWUO<o:p></o:p>(RESPONDENT / RESPONDENT)<o:p></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">

<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">CIVIL APPEAL N0: H1/46/2014&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:
16TH JUNE 2016<o:p></o:p>

RESPONDENT IN PERSON<o:p></o:p>

</div><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">CORAM: <o:p></o:p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:
&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">M.
OWUSU JA (PRESIDING), A. M. DORDZIE JA, S. DZAMEFE JA<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border-top:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
border-left:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;border-right:none;
padding:1.0pt 0in 1.0pt 0in">

<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:
.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:center;border:none;mso-border-top-alt:
solid windowtext 1.5pt;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:
0in;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0in 1.0pt 0in"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>AGNES
M. A. DORDZIE, JA<o:p></o:p>FACTS:<o:p></o:p>The
parties married customarily in 1989, after co-habiting as husband and wife for
ten years, they registered the marriage under the Ordinance in 1999.<o:p></o:p>Due
to differences that cropped up in the marriage the appellant herein filed a
petition for divorce on 24th November 2010 praying the High Court to:<o:p></o:p>a)
Dissolve the marriage<o:p></o:p>b
&amp; c) Declare the matrimonial home described as Plots N0. 68 &amp; 69
Community 16 Lashibi a joint property of the parties; the said property be sold
and the proceeds shared equally between the parties.<o:p></o:p>d)
An Audi car being used by the respondent be declared the property of the
petitioner and same settled on her.<o:p></o:p>e)
Petitioner further prayed for a lump sum payment of Ghc100, 000.00 to her by
the respondent.<o:p></o:p>The
respondent did not challenge the dissolution of the marriage, he therefore
cross petitioned for the dissolution of the marriage.<o:p></o:p>He
however denied the petitioner has any share in the landed property and does not
own the Audi car either. The respondent maintained the petitioner is not
entitled to any portion of the matrimonial home and is not entitled to any lump
sum payment either. The respondent further maintained that he had acquired 3
plots of land with 3,000 cement blocks on them in the petitioner’s home town,
that property be settled on the petitioner. The petitioner denied any such
property exists.<o:p></o:p>After
the trial the High Court found that there was no valid marriage between the
parties which could be dissolved, the trial judge therefore annulled the marriage.
The court further dismissed the property settlements and lump sum payment the
petitioner prayed for based on the ground that the marriage was void therefore
she is not entitled to any property settlement. <o:p></o:p>&nbsp;Dissatisfied with the judgment of the trial
court the petitioner brought this appeal seeking to set aside the judgment of
the court below.<o:p></o:p>GROUNDS OF APPEAL:<o:p></o:p><span lang="EN-GB" 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;">1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
The trial judge's finding
that the two plots were acquired by the respondent without any contribution
from the petitioner is not supported by the evidence on record.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><span lang="EN-GB" 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;">2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;