Children Of Late Supreme Court Judge Fight Over Will

A contentious legal battle has erupted among the children of a late Justice of the Supreme Court, Dr Seth Twum, over the authenticity of a purported will attributed to their deceased father.

Abena Twum and Esther Twum, two of the six surviving children of the late Justice, have raised objections against the validity of the will, sparking a legal dispute among the family members.

This legal action follows just a year after the death of their father on May 25, 2022, and his burial on July 2, 2022.

According to a report by The Chronicle, Dr Seth Twum originally had seven children, with the first child deceased. Among his surviving children, Esther (second), Abena (third), and Evelyn (sixth), two are contesting the will’s legitimacy.

The plaintiffs are challenging the will against their half-siblings, Audrey Twum (fourth), Seth Kwame Twum (fifth), and Leonora Nana Yaa Twum (seventh), along with their mother Julie Twum.

The contention stems from the assertion that the respective mothers of the plaintiffs were not legally married to their father at the time of their births, whereas Madam Julie was the legal wife of the deceased.

The disputed will, currently under scrutiny at the High Court, purportedly omits any reference to the plaintiffs in the division of the late Justice Twum’s estate. This estate comprises various assets, including land, investments, and funds held in his Barclays Bank accounts in both Ghana and the United Kingdom.

The properties involved encompass a Cantonments building leased to the Free Zones Authority, an ICON property adjacent to the American Embassy, a double plot at Trassacco Valley, a residential property at East Legon, and a parcel of land at Abelenkpe – all situated in Accra.

The plaintiffs, through their writ of summons filed in January of this year, contend that the defendants, alleged executors and trustees of the contested will, may have manipulated its content.

The plaintiffs assert that the circumstances surrounding the deposition of the purported will at the High Court Registry on June 7, 2022, and its subsequent reading on December 21, 2022, were fraught with forgery, rendering the will invalid and null.

In their legal action, the plaintiffs seek an injunction to prevent the defendants, their associates, agents, and others, from dealing with any properties belonging to Dr Seth Twum’s estate until Letters of Administration have been granted.

Furthermore, they request an order for an account of the assets possessed by the defendants and an award of cost of the action, including Solicitor’s fee.