The debate over who has the legal right to perform the funeral and widowhood rites of late music icon Charles Kwadwo Fosuh, known as Daddy Lumba, has intensified after a legal professional publicly criticized the approach taken by the musician’s first wife, Akosua Serwaa Fosuh.
Sander Kuusik, a Facebook user and reportedly a lawyer, condemned the actions of Mrs. Fosuh’s attorney, William Kusi, for what he described as serious procedural missteps that could potentially jeopardize the widow’s claim. According to Kuusik, the attorney’s decision to write directly to the presiding judge, Ladyship Justice Dorinda Smith Arthur, asserting that his client alone had the legal authority to carry out the rites, was inappropriate and legally unsound.
Kuusik argued that such direct communication with the court, outside the formal judicial process, constitutes hearsay and could even amount to contempt. He stressed that evidence not submitted under oath cannot be considered valid by the court and warned against any lawyer encouraging ex parte interactions with judges.
The legal professional also questioned the foundation of Mrs. Fosuh’s claim that Daddy Lumba’s German citizenship gives her exclusive rights to perform the widowhood rites. He highlighted that citizenship does not override Ghanaian customary law, which remains applicable due to Lumba’s Asante heritage. According to Kuusik, matters related to German nationality should be addressed in German courts rather than through Ghanaian customary proceedings.
This statement came shortly after Mrs. Fosuh submitted a letter to the Kumasi High Court on November 1, 2025, asserting that her late husband renounced his Ghanaian citizenship in 2002 upon obtaining German nationality, and that only she should perform the widowhood rites in line with German law.
Kuusik’s intervention has reignited discussions over the intersection of customary law, international citizenship, and procedural ethics in high-profile funeral and inheritance cases in Ghana.
