Proceedings at the Kumasi High Court on Wednesday were briefly halted when Ernestina Fosuh, elder sister of the late highlife legend Charles Kwadwo Fosuh (known as Daddy Lumba), broke down in tears during cross-examination.
Justice Dorinda Smith-Arthur, who presided over the case, instructed the witness also known as Akosua Brempomaah to take water and regain composure before the session resumed.
The emotional moment followed a line of questioning from counsel for the second defendant in the ongoing legal dispute, in which Akosua Serwaa Fosuh is asking the court to declare her the lawful wife of the late musician and the person entitled to perform widowhood rites.
During cross-examination, the lawyer for Priscilla Ofori, popularly called Odo Broni, queried Madam Brempomaah on why the late musician named his first child with Akosua Serwaa, Calvyn Schindler, instead of choosing a family name despite her earlier claim that her brother confided in her about “almost everything.”
When the hearing resumed, Madam Fosuh testified that Daddy Lumba relocated to Ghana from Germany in 2013. She said she visited Ghana every six months and stayed at his Tantra Hills residence.
According to her, she met Odo Broni for the first time after the birth of her son, Junior, and later learned that the couple welcomed a second child five months afterwards.
That child, she said, was named after their late mother, Amma Saah, who passed away 24 years ago.
As the eldest sibling, Madam Brempomaah stated that she has served as a mother figure in the family and that the musician also regarded her as such.
She confirmed that Daddy Lumba and Odo Broni lost one of their children and added that the couple had three children living at the musician’s brother’s home at Tantra Hills and registered another three at his East Legon residence.
A central issue before the court is whether the highlife icon performed the customary in-law rites during the funeral of Akosua Serwaa’s mother and whether the couple were still married prior to his death.
She rejected defence suggestions that her brother failed to perform “Nseyie,” insisting that he attended the funeral with some relatives a claim she said is supported by video evidence.
She also dismissed assertions that the marriage between the late musician and Akosua Serwaa had collapsed and that Serwaa had returned the traditional “Ti Nsa” (head drink).
According to her, she would have been informed by her brother if that were true. She maintained that the marriage remained valid, citing that Akosua Serwaa still holds German health insurance and labour documentation reserved for married couples.
The case was adjourned to Friday after the court heard testimony from Osei Bonsu Kantanka, who was subpoenaed from the Manhyia Palace to provide expert insights into Asante customs, particularly relating to customary marriage and funeral rites.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
