ATO ARHIN vs. PHILOMINA APPIAH [2019]DLCA6337

Date	2019-03-27
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. HI/32/2018
Citation No.	[2019]DLCA6337

IRENE CHARITY LARBI MRS. J.A (PRESIDING)

L. L. MENSAH (J.A)

ANGELINA M. DOMAKYAAREH MRS.( J.A)

RICHARD KWAKU BOADU ESQ. FOR THE RESPONDENT/APPELLANT PRESENT.

DANIEL ARTHUR ESQ. FOR THE PETITIONER/RESPONDENTS PRESENT

[2019]DLCA6337
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >ATO ARHIN<o:p></o:p>(PETITIONER/ RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>PHILOMINA
APPIAH<o:p></o:p>(RESPONDENT/
APPELLANT)<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. HI/32/2018&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: 27TH
MARCH, 2019<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL: <o:p></o:p>RICHARD
KWAKU BOADU ESQ.&nbsp; FOR THE
RESPONDENT/APPELLANT PRESENT.<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">

DANIEL
ARTHUR ESQ. FOR THE PETITIONER/RESPONDENTS PRESENT.<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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IRENE
CHARITY LARBI&nbsp; MRS. J.A (PRESIDING), L.
L. MENSAH (J.A) AND ANGELINA&nbsp; M.
DOMAKYAAREH MRS.( J.A)<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;
text-align:center;mso-outline-level:1;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>Irene
Charity Larbi&nbsp; (Mrs) J.A<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.75in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;
text-align:justify;text-indent:-.5in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">(1)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
This is an appeal against the decision of
the Circuit Court, Cape Coast dated 18th March, 2016.<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.75in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;
text-align:justify;text-indent:-.5in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">(2)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
The parties married under Custom around
1996.&nbsp; After the Customary Marriage, the
Petitioner/Respondent who was then domiciled in Italy went back while the
Respondent/Appellant continued to stay in Cape-Coast.&nbsp; The Respondent/Appellant later joined
Petitioner/Respondent in Italy briefly.&nbsp;
Thereafter they returned to Ghana and lived at Brafoyaw a Suburb of
Cape-Coast.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.75in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;
text-align:justify;text-indent:-.5in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">(3)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
In 1998, the parties converted their
customary marriage into an Ordinance Marriage.&nbsp;
The parties acquired properties together both in concubinage and during
the subsistence of their marriage.&nbsp; They
also sojourned to Europe and United States of America (USA) for greener pastures
and returned later to settle in Ghana having acquired some wealth
together.&nbsp; Amongst the properties they
acquired is House Number MJNI Moree Junction, which the Court declared as joint
property acquired during the subsistence of the marriage.&nbsp; However, the marriage did not produce any
children.<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.75in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;
text-align:justify;text-indent:-.5in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">(4)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
The marriage turned sour when the
Respondent/Appellant discovered that the Petitioner/Respondent has fathered a
child out of wedlock.&nbsp; It is out of the
subsequent degeneration of the marriage that the Petitioner/Appellant filed for
divorce upon the grounds that the marriage had broken down beyond
reconciliation as follows that:-<o:p></o:p>