YAA SERWAA vs. ERIC ASAMOAH [2022]DLHC11771

Date	2022-02-09
Suit No.	SUIT NO. GJ5/3/19
Citation No.	[2022]DLHC11771

JUSTICE FRANCIS OBIRI

GERTRUDE ACHEAMPONG FOR THE PETITIONER

KWAMINA MENSAH FOR THE RESPONDENT

[2022]DLHC11771
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >YAA SERWAA<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>ERIC ASAMOAH<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT)<o:p></o:p>[HIGH COURT, KUMASI]<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;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">SUIT NO. GJ5/3/19&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;DATE: 9TH FEBRUARY,
2022<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL<o:p></o:p>GERTRUDE ACHEAMPONG FOR THE PETITIONER<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;">

KWAMINA MENSAH FOR THE
RESPONDENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM<o:p></o:p>JUSTICE
FRANCIS OBIRI<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;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">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>&nbsp;I am often reminded by God’s decree in Malachi
2:16, where he said “I hate divorce, says the Lord the God of Israel--------”<o:p></o:p>Our Lord Jesus Christ also spoke against
divorce when he said in Mathew 19:5-6 as follows: “For this reason a man will
leave his father and mother and be united to his wife and the two will become
one flesh.&nbsp; So, they are no longer two
but one.&nbsp; Therefore, what God has put
together let no man put asunder.”<o:p></o:p>However, it is the law that no one can compel
parties to continue to marry.&nbsp; Thus, it
appears that if the parties themselves decide to seek divorce contrary to the
biblical position, if they are Christians, then the court will have to give its
blessings to it.<o:p></o:p>Lord Denning in his Book Landmarks in the Law
(Butterworths 1954) at page 176 wrote on attitude of the British people to
divorce as follows;<o:p></o:p>“There is no longer any binding knot for
marriage.&nbsp; There is only a loose piece of
string which the parties can untie at will.&nbsp;
Divorce is not a stigma.&nbsp; It has
become respectable-----”<o:p></o:p>See: MENSAH
V MENSAH [2021] 1 SCGLR 391<o:p></o:p>I am of the humble view that before the instant
suit came to court, both parties would have expressed their love for each other
in so many times and in different ways.<o:p></o:p>The parties threw these attributes aside and came
before this court for their marriage to be dissolved among other reliefs.<o:p></o:p>The Petitioner in her petition for divorce
filed on 18th November 2019 prayed the court for the following
reliefs.<o:p></o:p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">a)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; That the marriage between
the parties be dissolved.<o:p></o:p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">b)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; That the Respondent be
ordered to pay to the Petitioner a lump sum of Twenty Thousand Ghana Cedis
(GH¢20,000.00) by way of financial provision.<o:p></o:p>