What happens to the family home? Can a spouse claim part of a business? Does the wife automatically get half of the husband’s property? What happens to the children? Can one spouse sell the property before the divorce is completed? These questions can sometimes be more difficult than the divorce itself. Under Ghanaian law, the rights of spouses upon divorce are governed principally by the Matrimonial Causes Act, 1971 (Act 367), the 1992 Constitution, and decisions of the Ghanaian courts.
Many people assume that the mother automatically gets custody because she is the mother. Others believe that the father has the stronger claim because he earns more money. Neither is automatically true.
Under Ghanaian law, the central question is the welfare and best interests of the child. The court is not deciding which parent won the divorce. It is deciding what arrangement is best for the child. The main legal framework includes the Matrimonial Causes Act, 1971 (Act 367) and Ghana’s child-protection laws.
Where a marriage is legally recognized, its dissolution generally requires a legal process before the appropriate court. But what exactly must a spouse prove? Can one spouse obtain a divorce if the other refuses? What happens to the children? What about the family house and other property acquired during the marriage? Can a spouse hide or sell assets during the proceedings? This article explains the basic legal process for divorce in Ghana under the Matrimonial Causes Act, 1971 (act 367) and answers some of the questions people commonly ask.
A lack of money should not automatically mean a lack of access to justice. One of the biggest misconceptions about the Ghanaian justice system is that a person must have enough money to pay a private lawyer before that person can obtain legal advice, defend a legal claim or pursue a legitimate legal right. That is not entirely correct.
False imprisonment is one of the most important torts protecting personal liberty. It may arise from an unlawful arrest, police detention, detention by a private individual, or even situations where a person is prevented from leaving without being physically locked in a room. But does false imprisonment require physical force? Must the person know that they are being detained? Can the police keep someone for more than 48 hours without taking them to court? Can a private person lawfully restrain someone suspected of committing a crime? This article examines what false imprisonment means under Ghanaian law and answers some of the important questions surrounding unlawful detention and personal liberty.
The right to own or occupy land extends beyond merely having legal title or possession. It also includes the right to enjoy one’s property peacefully, comfortably, and without unreasonable interference from neighboring landowners or occupiers.
“Relax, it was only a joke.”
Those words are often heard after a prank goes wrong. A fake emergency, a staged robbery, a frightening costume, a false story about a loved one, or even a carefully planned “harmless” scare may seem funny to the person behind it.
But what happens when the person being pranked suffers serious psychological or physical harm? Can you be legally responsible even if you never intended to physically hurt anyone?
The answer may be YES.
Most people believe that the law only punishes someone after a crime has been committed. But is that true? Can you be arrested for trying to commit a crime even if you failed? What if you agreed with someone else to commit an offence but never carried it out? What if you only encouraged or helped another person commit a crime without doing it yourself?
Well under Ghanaian law, certain conduct can be criminal even before the main offence is completed. These offences are known as INCHOATE OFFENCES. Although the intended crime may never happen, the law recognises that some acts create such a serious risk that they deserve punishment on their own.
Robbery is a serious crime in Ghana. Many people describe every theft as ‘robbery’ but the law draws a line between the two. Does snatching a phone amount to robbery? What if the thief had no weapon? What if violence only happened while escaping? This article explains what robbery really means under Ghanaian law, using the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (ACT 29), and gives clarity on common misconceptions people have about this crime.
Reading a Ghanaian law judgement requires more than discovering which party succeeded. This guide explains how to approach a judgement methodically so you can understand the court’s reasoning, identify binding legal principles and improve your legal analysis.
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