MRS. ADELAIDE OWUSU-MENSAH AND GENEVIEVE BAABA WELSING vs. REBECCA WELSING (MRS.) [2021]DLCA11787

MRS. ADELAIDE OWUSU-MENSAH AND GENEVIEVE BAABA WELSING vs. REBECCA WELSING (MRS.... [2021]DLCA11787

Date	2021-12-09
Suit No.	SUIT NO. H1/24/2021
Citation No.	[2021]DLCA11787

WELBOURNE (MRS)

J.A. (PRESIDING)

ARYENE (MRS)

J.A.

BAAH

AMA OPOKU AMPONAH WITH OWUSU ASANTE AND JASMINE ADJEI MENSAH FOR PLAINTIFFS/RESPONDENTS

RANDY BRAFO FOR DEFENDANT/APPELLANT

[2021]DLCA11787
																																						<div class="restriction-wrapper">
														<div class="container-lg">
															<div class="row">
																<div class="col-md-12 restricted-content">
																	<div class="restricted-content-img-wrapper">
																		<div class="lock-icon bounce-7">
																			<img class=""
																				src="https://www.dennislawgh.com/dl-assets/dl-images/lock-content.png"
																				alt="Subscription based content">
																		</div>
																	</div>
																	 
																		<a href="https://www.dennislawgh.com/login"
																		class="btn btn-primary btn-lg"
																		style="font-family: 'open sans'; text-transform: capitalize; border-radius: 8px"> 
																		Login to Read Full Case </a>
																	 
																	
																</div>
															</div>
														</div>
													</div>
													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >MRS. ADELAIDE OWUSU-MENSAH AND GENEVIEVE BAABA WELSING<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFFS/RESPONDENTS)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>REBECCA WELSING (MRS.)<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>[COURT
OF APPEAL, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">

SUIT
NO. H1/24/2021&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 DECEMBER 2021<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">

</div>CORAM&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>WELBOURNE (MRS), J.A.
(PRESIDING), ARYENE (MRS), J.A., BAAH, J.A.<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top-width: 1.5pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-left: none; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-right: none; padding: 1pt 0cm;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:normal;tab-stops:36.0pt 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt;
border:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;mso-border-bottom-alt:
solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">JUDGEMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>WELBOURNE, J.A<o:p></o:p>This is an appeal from the judgment of
the High Court, Accra dated the 25th day of January 2017. <o:p></o:p>BRIEF
FACTS:<o:p></o:p>The Appellant in this case was the
Defendant in the case at the High Court. The 1st Respondent is the
sister of Mr. Alfred Welsing (deceased) and is also the Executrix of his Last
Will and Testament. The 2nd Respondent is the only daughter of the
deceased and the sole beneficiary of his estate. The Appellant is the widow of
the deceased. In the Will of the late Mr. Alfred Welsing he devised his
interest in the property known as Plot No 43, Block B, Community 22, Tema to
his daughter, the 2nd Respondent. The property is made up of a
residential property built on land purchased by the deceased from the Tema
Development Corporation in 2005 which is evidenced by Exhibit C.&nbsp; Both parties are in agreement that the said
land was purchased with money solely provided by the deceased however all
documents covering the property were made in the joint names of Mr. Alfred
Welsing and the Appellant. After the death of Mr. Welsing in 2012 the 1st
Respondent applied and obtained probate without challenge and subsequently
through a vesting assent transferred the interest of the deceased in the
property to the 2nd Respondent. The 2nd Respondent then
acting through her lawyers wrote to the Appellant offering to sell her interest
in the house to the Appellant or in the alternative to have the entire property
sold and the proceeds shared equally between the parties. The Appellant through
her lawyers responded to the letter of the 2nd Respondent rejecting
her offer and claiming that the property was jointly owned by the deceased and
herself and upon the death of the deceased she became the surviving and as such
the sole owner of the property. The Appellant also claimed that the deceased
could not lawfully devise his interest in the property to anyone else. <o:p></o:p>The Respondents subsequently issued a
writ against the Appellant seeking the following reliefs:<o:p></o:p>a.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
A
declaration that the property in dispute Plot No. 43, Block B, Community 22,
Tema was owned by the Alfred Mensah Welsing and Defendant as tenants in common.<o:p></o:p>b.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
An
order for the sale of the property in dispute and the sharing of proceeds from
the sale equally between the 2nd Plaintiff and Defendant.<o:p></o:p>c.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Costs.<o:p></o:p>The High Court entered judgment in
favour of the Respondent. It held that:<o:p></o:p>a.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
The
property in dispute, Plot No. 43, Block B, Tema Community 22 is owned by Alfred
Mensah Welsing and Rebecca Welsing as tenants in common.<o:p></o:p>