Battle over dead body
A state of confusion that might border on diplomatic relations is brewing between two families in Ghana and the United States of America (USA), over an alleged death and intended burial of a royal Ghanaian lady in the USA.
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The Asamoa-Edu Nsona Ebusua of Abandzi in the Central Region, family of the deceased, Madam Georgina Owusuah, sees her death as suspicious.
The family of the deceased has accordingly petitioned the New York Police Department for the results of their investigations regarding her death.
In addition, the family has petitioned the Harlem Hospital Centre where the deceased is said to have died for more information, as well as the RG Ortiz Funeral Home to suspend the burial of the deceased as planned for March 4, 2016.
Custom and tradition
The family said it was because the deceased, a kingpin within the family, ought to be buried in line with tradition.
These and further information picked from a petition sent from Ghana to the USA government by F-X Law and Associates said that sometime from November, 2015 the family in Accra could not have any direct communication with the deceased.
She was allegedly said to be married to one Edmund Kwasi Ofori.
The deceased is alleged to have fallen sick and her condition hidden from her family until she passed away on January 23, 2016, at the Harlem Hospital Centre, in New York City in the USA.
That, the family alleged, was because, each time the family called her, the call was answered by one Edmund Kwasi Ofori who never gave the family any reasonable explanation as to why Georgina Owusuah could not answer her house phone calls by herself.
Suspicion
After some time, the petition alleged, the late Georgina Owusuah’s son, Richard Asamoah, suspected something might be wrong with his mother and, therefore, called his friend, one Miss Hassana Hamidu who also lived in the United States to follow up and verify what could be wrong with his mother.
“We have firm and verified information that when she visited his mother she noticed that she was seriously sick and being kept in a room for a very long time, and seeing her deteriorating condition she took her to Harlem Hospital Centre where she was immediately admitted,” the petition claimed.
“The petition said: “We have instructions that the said Mr Edmund Kwasi Ofori is an imposter and never a legitimate husband of the deceased and that such claim is completely fraudulent and criminal. He is not known to the Nsona Clan at Abandzi or the entire family as such and has no right to take possession of the deceased,” the petition said.
Breach of customary rights
“Our client says the action of Mr Edmund Ofori breaches the customary rights of the family of the deceased and the legal right of her adult children over the body of the deceased and their consequential rights to deal with any post-burial issues of succession.
This action is equally criminal and raises issues of suspicion about a possible contributory negligence on the part of the said self-imposed husband to have kept the deceased in the house instead of the hospital considering her health status until she was discovered by a Good Samaritan at the prompting of her son Richard Asamoah,” petition said.
It added that: “Our clients are of a firm belief that the death of their beloved Georgina Owusuah could have been prevented if reasonable care was taken and further believe that the self-imposed husband, Mr Edmund Kwasi Ofori, needs to be arrested for questioning to unravel the mysteries behind the death of their daughter and mother.”
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