PAUL KINI vs. RITA TANSON KINI [2017]DLCA5160

Date	2017-10-26
Suit No.	SUIT NO: H1/107/2017
Citation No.	[2017]DLCA5160

OFOE JA – PRESIDING

LARBI JA

KWOFIE JA

PENNINA A. ASAH FOR RESPONDENT/APPELLANTS

KWABINA GYAMFI NIMAKOH FOR THE PETITIONER /RESPONDENT

[2017]DLCA5160
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >PAUL KINI<o:p></o:p>(PETITIONER/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>RITA TANSON KINI<o:p></o:p>(RESPONDENT/APPELLANT)<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;
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SUIT NO: H1/107/2017&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: 26TH OCTOBER,
2017<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>PENNINA A. ASAH FOR
RESPONDENT/APPELLANTS<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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KWABINA
GYAMFI NIMAKOH FOR THE PETITIONER /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;
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OFOE
JA – PRESIDING, LARBI JA, KWOFIE JA<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;
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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
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padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>OFOE,J.A:<o:p></o:p>This
is an appeal against the ruling of the Circuit Court dated the 8th
day of September 2015 granting custody of the children of the marriage to their
father, Paul Kini.<o:p></o:p>The
undisputed facts of the case are that Paul and Rita Kini, the parties in this
case, were married under the ordinance in the year 2002, specifically 14th
September. Unfortunately, their marriage had to be dissolved on the 17th
October 2008 but before then they were blessed with two children Elorm and Edem.
At the time of the issuance of the suit in October 2007 they were 10 and 8
years respectively. Somewhere in the year 2006 the parties agreed to send both
children to Ghana to stay with their maternal grandmother, Grace Agyepomaa at
the time Elorm was 2 years and Edem was 2 months.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;The contention between the parties which was
determined by the trial court was who should have custody of the children. From
the depositions before us granting custody to their father will have the effect
of relocating the children in the United States of America where they were born
and where their father and Rita, their mother, presently reside.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;I will refer to the parties as they were in
the trial court. Paul Kini as petitioner and Rita Kini as respondent.<o:p></o:p>As
stated earlier, the petitioner’s application for custody of the children was
granted by the Circuit court and this has provoked this appeal before us. The
ruling of the trial judge is being challenged on two grounds<o:p></o:p>“1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; That the ruling is against
the weight of evidence<o:p></o:p>2.<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;That the learned judge erred when she ruled
that &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;
the &nbsp;petitioner can have custody
of the children in C&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
the &nbsp;absence of any physical abuse
of the children”.<o:p></o:p>Before
considering these grounds of appeal let me provide the substance and relevant
depositions of the parties as contained in the record of appeal. <o:p></o:p>It
is the deposition of the petitioner that there was an earlier agreement with
the respondent to relocate the children to the US. However subsequent behaviour
of the respondent indicated she was no more int</main>