The widowhood case surrounding the late highlife legend Charles Kwadwo Fosu, popularly known as Daddy Lumba, took an unexpected turn on Monday when plaintiff Akosua Serwaa Fosu presented photographs she says capture their civil marriage ceremony held in 2004 in Bornheim, Germany. The revelation immediately unsettled the defence.
The defence team reacted strongly to the submission. Lawyers described the images as sudden “surprises” and challenged their relevance and timing, arguing they had not been warned of new evidence.
The photos were introduced by plaintiff counsel William Kusi during his cross-examination of the first defendant, Abusuapanin Kofi Owusu, head of the Ekuona family in Parkoso. He asked the witness to identify the man in the pictures. After examining them, Abusuapanin Owusu stated that the images indeed featured his nephew, the late Daddy Lumba.
Following that confirmation, defence counsel Dominic Kwadwo Osei and Kwadwo Owusu quickly objected, insisting they had not questioned the necessary witnesses and therefore could not authenticate the date or occasion shown. They argued that the plaintiff had brought in new material too late in the trial process.
When Her Ladyship Dorinda Smith Arthur asked how the photographs had been obtained, plaintiff counsel explained that they were part of marriage-related documents recently received from Germany. He said the delay in their arrival prevented earlier filing. The court accepted the images despite the objections.
The focus later shifted to the defence’s own set of photographs. During further questioning, plaintiff counsel asked Abusuapanin Owusu where he got the pictures he had previously submitted. The witness responded that he received them from Priscilla Ofori, also called Odo Broni, the second defendant, at the musician’s residence.
A question then arose about why Odo Broni appeared to be wearing a wedding ring on her left hand in those photos. Abusuapanin Owusu stated, “Marriage rings are normally worn on the 4th finger on the left hand.”
An objection from the defence followed when counsel asked about the occasion on which one image of Lumba and Priscilla was taken. The judge allowed the question, and the witness eventually clarified that the photo did not show a marriage event but rather “a couple dressed and ready to go out.”
Tensions grew when plaintiff counsel suggested that one of the defence’s photos might have been manipulated. He raised concerns about unusual body proportions and similarities to other documents, adding that the image “cannot be a photograph of Daddy Lumba and Odo Broni.”
According to a report by Myjoyonline, Abusuapanin Owusu replied, “I was not there when the photograph was taken.” When reminded of testimony from an earlier defence witness who said no pictures were taken at the alleged marriage ceremony at the musician’s house, he acknowledged the inconsistency.
With national attention fixed on the case, the Kumasi High Court is expected to announce its ruling on Friday, November 28, a decision that will determine who is legally recognised as the late musician’s spouse and who may have claim to his estate.
