The Accra Circuit Court has ordered a businessman in his 60s to pay a total of GHC200,000 to his former lover after finding that he breached a promise to marry her.
The award comprises GHC50,000 in general damages and GHC150,000 in compensation, bringing the total financial judgment against him to GHC200,000. In addition, the court awarded GHC20,000 in costs in her favour. The case was presided over by Justice Sedinam Kwadam, a High Court judge with additional responsibility as a Circuit Court judge. Although the matter began as a suit by the businessman seeking an ejectment order against the woman, the proceedings ultimately resulted in a finding of breach of promise to marry and the imposition of a constructive trust over an East Legon property.
The dispute arose from an 11-year amorous relationship between 2013 and 2024. The businessman had sued to evict the woman from a two-bedroom apartment within a six-unit property he owns at East Legon. At the time their relationship began, the property was still under construction.
Evidence before the court showed that while the plaintiff, who was not resident in Ghana, sent money for the project, the defendant actively supervised and managed the construction of the six-unit property. When the building was completed, he asked her to move into one of the two-bedroom apartments in 2017. He later joined her there upon his return to Ghana.
In response to the ejectment suit, the woman filed a countersuit, asserting that the businessman had promised to marry her. She told the court that this promise led her to leave her home in Dansoman and fully commit to the relationship. As part of her evidence, she stated that the plaintiff was presented as an in-law at her father’s funeral, where he made financial contributions and wrote a tribute. She also told the court that he gave her a ring and appointed her to serve as foreman on the construction of his six-unit house for about four years.
Among the reliefs she sought were:
- US$40,000 for breach of promise to marry
- The right to continue living in the two-bedroom unit
- Retention of a Toyota RAV4 allegedly purchased for her
In her judgment, Justice Kwadam held that the evidence established that a promise to marry had indeed been made. The court found that the ring was not merely a casual gift but was intended to ward off other men, signalling a clear intention to marry. The judge also cited the defendant’s four-year supervision of construction, the plaintiff’s open identification as an in-law without objection, and his involvement in her father’s funeral as overwhelming proof of the promise.
The court ruled that the businessman’s conduct in 2024, which brought the relationship to an end, constituted a breach of that promise. Justice Kwadam further observed that since both parties are above 60 years old, the defendant’s prospects of finding another suitor had diminished after the 11-year relationship, during which she lived with him for nine years.
On the property issue, the court acknowledged that the plaintiff holds legal title to the East Legon house but applied equitable principles, holding that the defendant has a beneficial interest in the two-bedroom apartment under a constructive trust. The ejectment suit was therefore dismissed, and she is entitled to remain in the apartment. Regarding the Toyota RAV4, the court ruled that because the businessman did not specifically request its return, the defendant would continue to use the vehicle.
The full reasoning behind the judgment is expected to be made available on February 24
