A Kumasi High Court has admitted a contentious video clip into evidence in the ongoing legal battle over who qualifies as the legitimate surviving spouse of the late highlife legend Daddy Lumba, known privately as Charles Kwadwo Fosuh.
The video, tendered by lawyers for Abusuapanin Kofi Owusu, head of the musician’s extended family, captures Daddy Lumba narrating how his first love, the late Theresah Abresseh, performed in-law rites at his mother’s funeral.
Though the footage had already been listed as exhibit DL5 during the Case Management Conference, its formal admission sparked sharp exchanges in court on Monday, November 17.
Plaintiff’s Counsel Fiercely Opposes Video Admission
Lawyer William Kusi, representing Akosua Serwaa Fosuh, who claims to be the late musician’s lawful wife, objected strongly to the video being tendered. He argued that the plaintiff could not verify the video’s source or authorship and therefore lacked the capacity to comment on it. Accepting such evidence, he insisted, would amount to an injustice.
But Justice Dorinda Smith Arthur overruled the objection, paving the way for the clip to become part of the official court record, a development seen as a major turning point in the trial.
Plaintiff Claims Video Was Altered
When cross-examination resumed, the plaintiff’s attorney, Georgina Osei Bonsu, insisted the video had been tampered with. According to her, neither the plaintiff’s account nor that of the late musician’s family supported claims that Theresah Abebresse performed any in-law rites.
She told the court she has photographic evidence proving that Akosua Serwaa Fosuh performed the Nseyie rites herself.
This assertion prompted counsel for the first defendant to suggest that the plaintiff’s refusal to perform the rites at the funeral of Daddy Lumba’s mother was the true cause of the couple’s separation. He further claimed that this emotional fallout explained why the musician did not attend Akosua Serwaa Fosuh’s mother’s funeral in January 2018—a claim the attorney rejected.
Marriage Certificate Also Challenged
Earlier in the hearing, the first defendant’s lawyer raised concerns about the marriage certificate tendered by Akosua Serwaa Fosuh. He argued that since she previously bore the name Akosua Serwaa Schindler, different from her birth name, the certificate presented in court belonged to a different individual.
Meanwhile, counsel for Priscilla Ofori, popularly known as Odo Broni, questioned the attorney about her connection to the Fosuh family.
Attorney Gives Background to Her Relationship With the Couple
Madam Osei Bonsu narrated how she met Daddy Lumba in the United States during one of his concerts in 2003. She confirmed she was not present at the couple’s traditional marriage at Bomso in 1991 nor at their civil ceremony in Germany in 2004. She also recounted how she and her children visited the couple multiple times in Germany.
The Case Continues
The Kumasi High Court is expected to rule on the matter on November 25, 2025. Daily hearings continue, with cross-examination set to resume on Tuesday, November 18, following nearly seven hours of proceedings on Monday.
