[2016]DLCA8499 Login to Read Full Case <span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:115%;tab-stops:center 243.0pt left 279.75pt"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;color:#00B0F0">GREGORY AGANA AMOAH<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:115%;tab-stops:center 243.0pt left 279.75pt"><span class="NoSpacingChar"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">(</span></i></span><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">DEFENDANT/APPELLANT<span class="NoSpacingChar">)</span></span></i><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;color:#00B0F0"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:115%;tab-stops:center 243.0pt left 279.75pt"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; color:#00B0F0">vs.</span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; color:#00B0F0"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:115%;tab-stops:27.0pt"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;color:#00B0F0">STEPHANY ABOKZELE<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:6.0pt;text-align:center; line-height:115%;tab-stops:27.0pt"><span class="NoSpacingChar"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">(</span></i></span><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT<span class="NoSpacingChar">)<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:115%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri">[COURT OF APPEAL</span><span class="NoSpacingChar"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">,</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri"> TAMALE]<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%; border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm; mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">SUIT NO: H2/07/2016 </span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">DATE: 29<sup>TH</sup> FEBRUARY, 2016<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif">COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif">GEORGE FUSEINI ESQ. FOR THE DEFENDANT/APPELLANT<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">ISSAH MOHAMMED FOR THE PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 115%"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family: "Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">CORAM:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm; mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">ADJEI JA – PRESIDING, LOVELACE-JOHNSON JA, ACKAH-YENSU JA<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: 115%"><b><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"><o:p><span style="text-decoration-line: none;"> </span></o:p></span></u></b></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%; border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm; mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">JUDGMENT</span></b><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma"> </span></b><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;line-height:200%"><b><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">ADJEI, J.A:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:150%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">On 31<sup>st</sup> July, 2012, the High Court Bolgatanga gave judgment in favour of the Plaintiff/Respondent herein against the Defendant/Appellant for all the reliefs endorsed on the Plaintiff’s writ of summons. The Court dismissed the Defendant/Appellant’s counterclaim for failing to prove it. The relief (b) endorsed on the writ of summons was the same as relief (a) on the Defendant’s counterclaim. The Defendant/Appellant dissatisfied with the judgment of the trial High Court filed a Notice of Appeal against same to this Court on 28<sup>th</sup> September, 2012. There was only one ground of appeal on the notice of appeal and that was the omnibus clause,that the judgment is against the weight of evidence on record. The Defendant/Appellant applied for leave to amend his notice of Appeal and same was granted on 24<sup>th</sup> July, 2013. On 5<sup>th</sup> August 2013 the Defendant/Appellant filed his amended Notice of Appeal. One more ground of appeal was added to the omnibus ground. The grounds of appeal as contained in the amended notice of appeal are as follows:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:36.0pt;line-height: 150%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">“a. <i>That the judgment is against the weight of the evidence.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:72.0pt;text-align:justify;text-indent: -32.25pt;line-height:150%"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma"> b. That the learned trial Judge erred in law when he held that the substantial contribution principle is still the law governing property rights of spouses. <o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:72.0pt;text-align:justify;text-indent: -32.25pt;line-height:115%"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:150%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma"> <u>PARTICULARS OF ERROR OF LAW<o:p></o:p></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:72.0pt;text-align:justify;line-height: 150%"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma">Article 22 (3) of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana as interpreted by the Supreme Court in Gladys Mensah v Stephen Mensah SC Civil Appeal No. JA/20/2011 dated 22/2/2012“</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:150%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">In this appeal the Plaintiff/Respondent would be referred to as the Plaintiff and the Defendant/Appellant as the Appellant.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:150%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">We now proceed to discuss grounds (a) of the appeal. The law is now trite that on appellant who appeals on the omnibus ground of appeal that is the judgment is against the weight of evidence on record is inviting the appellate Court to review the entire record, correct all the errors in the judgment and finally come to the conclusion that the trial judge did not properly evaluate the evidence on record. An appellate court when called upon to correct the errors in a judgment based on the omnibus ground of appeal is required to evaluate all the entire evidence on record and correct the findings of fact which were not properly made, and, furthermore evaluate material evidence which the trial court failed to take into consideration and come to the right conclusion. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:150%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",ser