THE REPUBLIC vs. THE DISTRICT COURT SEKONDI, EXPARTE: MARTIN OFFEI SALLY OFFEI [2018]DLHC9298

Date	2018-04-09
Suit No.	SUIT NO. E9/28/18
Citation No.	[2018]DLHC9298

JUSTICE P. BRIGHT MENSAH

DAVID OWUSU-TACHIE FOR BEN ACKAAH-GYASI FOR THE APPLICANT INTERESTED PARTY IN PERSON

NO LEGAL REPRESENTATION FOR AND ON BEHALF OF RESPONDENT COURT

[2018]DLHC9298
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >THE
REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>THE
DISTRICT COURT, SEKONDI (RESPONDENT) EXPARTE: MARTIN OFFEI
(APPLICANT) SALLY OFFEI (INTERESTED PARTY)<o:p></o:p>[HIGH COURT, SEKONDI]<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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SUIT NO. E9/28/18&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: 9TH APRIL 2018<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>DAVID OWUSU-TACHIE FOR BEN
ACKAAH-GYASI FOR THE APPLICANT<o:p></o:p>INTERESTED PARTY IN PERSON<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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NO
LEGAL REPRESENTATION FOR AND ON BEHALF OF RESPONDENT COURT<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>P. BRIGHT MENSAH, JUSTICE OF THE HIGH
COURT<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border-top:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;border:none;
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padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">RULING<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The Applicant in this present case
moves the court for:<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; “………. Order for Judicial
Review by way of Certiorari to quash the <o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; judgment of
the District Court, Sekondi”[given
on 29/09/17],<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>as per the accompanying affidavit and
for any further order(s) as this court may consider fit.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The
present application, according to the motion paper, is brought under Order
55 r 1(a) &amp; 4(2) of Rules, 2004 (C I 47) invoking the supervisory
jurisdiction of this court.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>By
rule
1(a) of Order 55, an Applicant may make an application for judicial review to the High Court
in the nature of an Order of Certiorari, among other reliefs. An affidavit supports the
motion.&nbsp; The supporting affidavit sets
out the grounds for the application, the reliefs sought, the name and
description of the applicant and his address.&nbsp;
The applicant shall also supply the full name and address of the person
directly affected by the application.<a href="file:///C:/Users/aggie/Desktop/DL%20CASES/HIGH%20COURT/JUSTICE%20BRIGHT%20MENSAH/THE%20REPUBLIC%20v%20SEKONDI%20DISTRICT%20COURT%20EXPARTE%20MARTIN%20OFFEI.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title="">[1]</a><o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>Before proceeding further, I want to
place it on record that when the case was called in this court for the first
time on 22/02/2018, the Interested Party though served with the processes to
appear in court, she was absent.&nbsp;
However, Hajia Asana Sooba represented her, who told the court that the
Interested Party has been delivered of her baby born to another man.&nbsp; Consequently, the case was adjourned to
20/03/2018 but on the ground that the Interested Party was short-served. <o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The case of the Applicant:<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The thrust of the application as may
be gleaned from the affidavit in support of the motion is that the Interested
Party and the Applicant were once married under the customary law.&nbsp; The said marriage was on 21/12/2013 converted
to an ordinance marriage under CAP 127. It is common ground that the
Interested Party subsequently instituted a divorce petition against the
applicant at the Sekondi District Court and the said court gave judgment in her
favour on 29/09/2017.<a href="file:///C:/Users/aggie/Desktop/DL%20CASES/HIGH%20COURT/JUSTICE%20BRIGHT%20MENSAH/THE%20REPUBLIC%20v%20SEKONDI%20DISTRICT%20COURT%20EXPARTE%20MARTIN%20OFFEI.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title="">[2]</a><o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>As relayed in the judgment of the
District Court, the parties had their customary marriage converted into an
ordinance marriage on December 21, 2013 at the Upper Room Assemblies of God
Church, Kwesimintsim, Takoradi.&nbsp; There
are 2 issues of the marriage.&nbsp; The
Petitioner had asked for dissolution of the marriage on ground of unreasonable
behavior on the part of the Respondent.&nbsp;
She also asked for custody of the 2 issues of the marriage as well as
financial provision<a href="file:///C:/Users/aggie/Desktop/DL%20CASES/HIGH%20COURT/JUSTICE%20BRIGHT%20MENSAH/THE%20REPUBLIC%20v%20SEKONDI%20DISTRICT%20COURT%20EXPARTE%20MARTIN%20OFFEI.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title="">[3]</a>. <o:p></o:p>