CECILIA ASAFO ADJEI AND JOSEPH K.A. MOCHIA vs. HANNAH ACKAH BLAY AND EMMANUEL ACKAH BLAY [2018]DLCA6175

CECILIA ASAFO ADJEI AND JOSEPH K.A. MOCHIA vs. HANNAH ACKAH BLAY AND EMMANUEL... [2018]DLCA6175

Date	2018-12-18
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. H1/13/19
Citation No.	[2018]DLCA6175

IRENE C. LARBI (MRS) J.A. (PRESIDING)

LAWRENCE L. MENSAH J.A.

ANGELINA M. DOMAKYAAREH (MRS) J.A.

JOHN MERCER FOR APPLICANTS/APPELLANTS.

CONSTANTINE K. M. KUDZEDZI FOR RESPONDENTS/RESPONDENTS.

[2018]DLCA6175
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >CECILIA ASAFO ADJEI AND
JOSEPH K.A. MOCHIA<o:p></o:p>[APPLICANTS/APPELLANTS]<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>HANNAH ACKAH BLAY AND&nbsp;&nbsp;
EMMANUEL ACKAH BLAY<o:p></o:p>[APPLICANTS/APPELLANTS]<o:p></o:p>[COURT
OF APPEAL, CAPE COAST]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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CIVIL APPEAL NO. H1/13/19&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 DECEMBER 2018<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>JOHN
MERCER FOR APPLICANTS/APPELLANTS.<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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CONSTANTINE
K. M. KUDZEDZI FOR RESPONDENTS/RESPONDENTS.<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>IRENE
C. LARBI (MRS) J.A. (PRESIDING), LAWRENCE L. MENSAH J.A., ANGELINA M.&nbsp; DOMAKYAAREH (MRS) J.A.<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border-top:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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</div>LAWRENCE
L. MENSAH, J.A.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>This is an appeal by the
Applicants/Appellants who will be referred to hereafter as Appellants against
the judgment of the High Court, Sekondi dated 5th day of July 2018
in favour of the Respondents/Respondents who will be referred to as the
Respondents.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>This is an estate matter involving the
estate of Andrew Ackah Blay (deceased) who passed into eternity on the 26th
of October 2017.&nbsp; After his burial
on 17th February 2018, the Appellants applied for letters of
administration to administer his estate.&nbsp;
The first Appellant claimed to be the customary and lawful surviving
wife of the deceased, with the second Appellant as the customary
successor.&nbsp; The Appellants’ application
was on notice to the Respondents.&nbsp; The 1st
Respondent filed a stiff affidavit in opposition to the application, and
claimed some of the properties of the deceased listed in the inventory as her
personal possessions.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>Upon hearing the arguments of the parties,
the court in its judgment on the 5th of July 2018 granted letters of
administration jointly to the 1st Respondent Hannah Ackah Blay, the
2nd Respondent and eldest son of the deceased Emmanuel Ackah Blay,
and Joseph K. A. Mochia the customary successor and the 2nd
Appellant herein.&nbsp; The court refused to
grant the administration to the 1st Appellant who claimed to be the
customary wife aforesaid on the ground that she was not a surviving spouse.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The court in its judgment also declared,
albeit with a caveat, that the 1st Respondent was the joint owner of
some properties listed in the inventory as those of the deceased and annexed to
the application a number of documents on both the matrimonial house and some
vehicles.&nbsp; Aggrieved by the said judgment,
the Appellants appealed to this court.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>GROUNDS
OF APPEAL:<o:p></o:p>The grounds of Appeal found at pages
111-112 of the record of appeal are:<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:1.75in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;
text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo1">1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
The
1st Respondent/Respondent having made adverse claims to title of
properties listed in the inventory as belonging to the deceased, cannot take
Letters of Administration to administer the estate of the deceased.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>