The long-running legal contest over whether the late music icon, Charles Kwadwo Fosu (Daddy Lumba), was legally married to Akosua Serwaa Fosu is approaching a decisive moment, as a Kumasi High Court has fixed Friday, November 28, for the final ruling.
The announcement was made by Her Ladyship Dorinda Smith Arthur during proceedings on Tuesday, November 25. The case has drawn considerable public interest due to the prominence of the parties involved and conflicting accounts about the late musician’s marital history.
So far, five witnesses have appeared before the court:
• three for the plaintiff, Mrs. Serwaa Fosu,
• one for Abusua Panin Kofi Owusu,
• and one for Priscilla Ofori, who is identified as the second defendant.
During the hearings, the plaintiff complied with the court’s directive to provide what she maintains is the original civil marriage certificate between herself and the deceased. Although lawyers for the defendants questioned the authenticity of the document, the court admitted it, along with other exhibits, for consideration.
One of the more striking testimonies came from James Beniako Boateng, a tax analyst who appeared as a witness for Ms. Ofori. He told the court that, based on what he witnessed, the late musician had claimed to have ended his marriage with the plaintiff before marrying Ms. Ofori.
He recounted being present at the April 10, 2010 ceremony between the late musician and Ms. Ofori. When the groom was asked about his previous marriage, Mr. Boateng said Daddy Lumba assured the bride’s family that the earlier union had been dissolved, though no document confirming this was produced. The ceremony, he added, was held without media coverage.
Mr. Boateng also described his longstanding connection with Ms. Ofori, whom he met in 2006 during her final year of secondary school. He explained that she later enrolled in nursing training but reportedly abandoned her studies at the request of the musician during their relationship, which he said lasted four years before their marriage. The couple now share six children.
He further stated that after their wedding, the couple lived at Tantara Hills before relocating to East Legon in 2016. He also noted seeing the late artiste in a wheelchair following spine surgery in 2013 but said he never saw him in the prolonged state of ill-health described by some accounts.
According to the witness, when Mrs. Serwaa Fosu returned to Ghana in 2018 to perform her late mother’s funeral rites, Ms. Ofori was instructed by her husband to prepare the Tantara Hills residence for the plaintiff’s stay. He emphasised that she did so as the acknowledged wife of the musician at that time.
As both sides await the court’s determination, the November 28 ruling is expected to provide clarity on an issue that has lingered since the celebrated musician’s passing.
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