Hiplife musician Castro would be declared legally dead this year as the seven years time period elapses in few months since his disappearance.
The singer and a female companion disappeared during a Jet Ski cruise on the Volta River on July 6, 2014, and per the laws of the country, they can only be declared legally dead by a court after seven years.
That position of the law was explained to Graphic Showbiz by an entertainment lawyer, Mr. Kwame Koduah Atuahene on Tuesday when the paper consulted him on the issue in 2014.
He said according to The Evidence Act of 1975, Section 33, a person can only be declared legally dead after seven years by a court, where the person in question has not been seen or heard from in seven years despite diligent and persistent efforts to find him.
He added that in the event the missing person left a Will, anyone who stands to derive any benefits such as spouse, parents or business partners, would have to be withheld until after seven years have elapsed.
“If there were any proceeds to be derived from joint ventures such as businesses and song collaborations that Castro has done with anyone in terms of sales and proceeds, it would still have to split jointly, this is done to ensure no one tramples on his rights,” he said.
Lawyer Atuahene, however, explained that these were presumptions and as such, if anyone could provide any facts or evidence of Castro’s availability or if he could be found before the seven years elapses, then everything would proceed as normal since he would be deemed as being alive.
Background
On July 6, 2014, Castro and Miss Janet Bandu were reported to have drowned following a jet ski accident in Ada Estuary while on holiday with the Gyan brothers. The jet ski involved in the accident was recovered on the same day of their disappearance but their bodies had not been recovered, despite a search by the police. The pair remain missing till date.
