Spousal murder: Court throws out injunction against burial

An Accra High Court has thrown out an interim injunction filed by Prince Charles Dedjoe, a business executive, against the burial of his late wife, Lilian Dedjoe.

The court, in its ruling, noted that the father of the deceased and head of family had the right to bury the deceased as the body also belonged to the extended family.

According to the court, the scale of inconvenience lied heavily on the family if the deceased was not buried as planned.

The court held that it was the duty of the extended family to give the deceased a befitting burial as the presence of Dedjoe did not prove anything.

It, however, declined to award cost on the grounds that the deceased and the plaintiff had kids.

Dedjoe had been remanded into lawful custody by the Madina District Court on the charge of murder.

He is accused of murdering his wife Lilian.

Dedjoe, the plaintiff, in his case contended that burial of his wife should not be done in his absence.

He said the head of family of the deceased had accused him wrongly and that had caused him bad publicity.

The plaintiff argued that his wife died of head injury and not from his slap as the father of the deceased had told the public.

Plaintiff said he owed his wife a duty to bury her and once she was buried without him, it would send a wrong signal.

Ms Afua Brown Eyeson, who represented the defendant (Lilian’s father and head of family), argued that Dedjoe had no right over his wife’s body.

She said Dedjoe had no right to hold the family back as the defendant continued to endure in hardship following the loss of his child.

Dedjo was being held for allegedly killing his wife Lilian, after assaulting her with slippers.

Charged provisionally with murder, the Madina District Court reserved his plea.

Meanwhile, Dedjoe has since been granted GH¢200, 000 bail by an Accra High Court last Friday, the Ghana News Agency gathered.

Source: GNA