Karen Baaba Sam Seeks Sanctions Against Ex-Partner for Alleged Defiance of Court Passport Order
Ghanaian single mother, Karen Baaba Sam, has filed an application at the General Jurisdiction High Court seeking to have her former partner, Nana Kwadwo Adjei, committed for contempt of court.
The application, filed on Wednesday, July 2, 2025, alleges that Mr. Adjei defied a binding court order by forcibly retrieving their six-year-old daughter’s passport from the High Court registry without prior notice to Ms. Sam, in violation of judicial directives.
The order, originally issued on March 24, 2025, required that the child’s passport remain in court custody and be released only with mutual notification to both parents.
In her affidavit, Ms. Sam disclosed that she had applied to the Family Tribunal on June 13 for permission to access the passport and for further directions in an ongoing custody dispute. However, her legal team was informed that Mr. Adjei had already removed the passport from the court registry on June 12—one day prior to her own application—without notifying her as mandated.
The affidavit further states that Mr. Adjei had, on June 11, also attempted to collect their daughter from school without authorization—a move thwarted only because Ms. Sam had preemptively picked up the child and formally notified the school.
“To cover his own earlier violations, the Respondent instituted contempt proceedings against me on June 23, 2025,” Ms. Sam’s affidavit reads, accusing Mr. Adjei of deliberately misleading the court while himself breaching the very order he sought to enforce.
The single mother contends that Mr. Adjei’s conduct is part of a pattern of disregard for court authority, and warned that unless punitive action is taken, he will continue to flout legal orders. She is therefore asking the court to sanction Mr. Adjei and compel him to return the passport to court custody to uphold the integrity of the judicial process.
Allegations of Abuse and Intimidation
Beyond the current legal dispute, Ms. Sam has recounted a history of abuse and intimidation at the hands of Mr. Adjei, dating back to the early years of their relationship. She alleges that physical, verbal, and emotional abuse intensified during her pregnancy in 2018, and that repeated reports to the police went unheeded due to Mr. Adjei’s alleged influence within the security services.
The final breakdown of their relationship occurred in April 2023 following a public confrontation, which Ms. Sam says led to another violent assault—this time in front of their daughter and visiting family friends.
In February 2024, Ms. Sam moved out with her daughter, only to suffer an armed robbery on her first night in her new home. She has since been placed under police protection after expressing suspicion that the robbery may have been orchestrated by individuals connected to her former partner.
A Bitter Custody Battle
The contempt motion is the latest escalation in what has become a bitter and highly charged custody battle, marked by allegations of domestic violence, manipulation of the judicial process, and disregard for legal orders.
For Ms. Sam, the case represents more than a dispute over a child’s passport—it is a fight for justice, accountability, and the protection of her child.
The matter is scheduled to be heard by the High Court in the coming days.
