KOFI AMOFA KUSI vs. AFIA AMANKWAH ADARKWAH [2022]DLSC11720

Date	2022-05-04
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. J4/73/2021
Citation No.	[2022]DLSC11720

BAFFOE-BONNIE JSC (PRESIDING)

DORDZIE (MRS.) JSC

AMEGATCHER JSC

LOVELACE-JOHNSON (MS.) JSC

KULENDI JSC

AMOAH ENOCH KWABENA ESQ. FOR THE PETITIONER/APPELLANT/ APPELLANT.

KWASI AFRIFA ESQ. WITH HIM AMA ASENSO ESQ. FOR THE RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT.

[2022]DLSC11720
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >KOFI AMOFA KUSI<o:p></o:p>(PETITONER/APPELLANT/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>AFIA AMANKWAH ADARKWAH<o:p></o:p>(RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>[SUPREME
COURT, 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;">

CIVIL APPEAL
NO. J4/73/2021&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;DATE:
4TH MAY, 2022<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL<o:p></o:p>AMOAH
ENOCH KWABENA ESQ. FOR THE PETITIONER/APPELLANT/<o:p></o:p>APPELLANT.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <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;">

KWASI AFRIFA ESQ. WITH HIM AMA ASENSO ESQ. FOR THE
RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT.<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM<o:p></o:p>BAFFOE-BONNIE
JSC (PRESIDING), DORDZIE (MRS.) JSC, AMEGATCHER JSC, LOVELACE-JOHNSON (MS.)
JSC, KULENDI JSC<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="text-align:center;line-height:115%;
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;KULENDI JSC:-<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;INTRODUCTION<o:p></o:p>This is an
appeal against the judgment of the Court of Appeal dated 29th April,
2021 by which judgment the learned Justices of the Court of Appeal affirmed in
part, the judgment of the High Court dated 8th July, 2020. The
Petitioner/Appellant/Appellant (the Appellant), dissatisfied with the judgment
of the Court of Appeal, invokes the appellate jurisdiction of this Court
pursuant to a Notice of Appeal filed on 24th May, 2021.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;BACKGROUND:<o:p></o:p>The
parties who on 16th January, 2002 married under the ordinance,
commenced divorce proceedings at the High Court, Kumasi to untie the marital
knot and go their separate ways. Therefore, by a petition filed on 9th
November, 2015, the Appellant prayed for the dissolution of the marriage on
account of alleged unreasonable behaviour of the
Respondent/Respondent/Respondent (the Respondent). The Appellant’s contention
of unreasonable behaviour was premised on allegations of Respondent’s
disrespect and neglect of the children of the marriage, among others.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;The
Respondent entered an appearance to the petition and thereafter filed her
answer on 3rd December, 2015. The Respondent denied that the
marriage had broken down beyond reconciliation. She alleged that “judging by
the love and undying emotion that she has for the Petitioner and has
consistently shown during the duration of the marriage it stretches credulity
to say that this happy union has broken down beyond reconciliation.” The
Respondent further claimed that even after the Appellant left the matrimonial
home, the parties have engaged in consensual love-making whenever the Appellant
visited the matrimonial home. Consequently, the Respondent prayed that the
“petition be dismissed as wholly unmeritorious and irreparably misconceived”. <o:p></o:p>&nbsp;Following
this answer to the petition, and the apparent reconciliatory posture of the
Respondent, the parties sought and obtained a series of adjournments to enable
them attempt an amicable resolution of their differences. As a result, it was
not until 20th January, 2017 that the Court commenced trial due to a breakdown
in the efforts at a settlement.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;In the
course of the trial, the Respondent changed her lawyer, sought and obtained
leave and amended her answer to the petition and cross-petitioned on 13th
June, 2018 for the following reliefs:<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;"1.
An order of the Honourable Court dissolving the marriage celebrated<o:p></o:p>between
her and the Petitioner.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;2. That
the Petitioner provides the Respondent with a lump sum of THREE HUNDRED
THOUSAND GHANA CEDIS (GH₵300,000.00) as alimony.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;3.An order
granting the Respondent half (½) of their joint properties below:<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;a.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <!--[en</main>