An Accra court has sent a clear message about the cost of broken promises, ordering a businessman to pay his ex-partner GH₵200,000 for wasting more than a decade of her life under the pretence of marriage.
For 11 years, Ernestina Torgbor believed she was building a future with Vince Kontoh. She supported him, managed his projects, and even moved homes at his request, all because he had promised to make her his wife.
But when he suddenly ended things, allegedly saying he now preferred an unemployed woman who could “take care of him,” she was left with nothing, except, she argued, a broken heart and a pile of broken promises.
On Monday, an Accra Circuit Court agreed with her.
Presided over by Justice Sedinam Awo Kwadam, the court ruled that Mr. Kontoh’s conduct over more than a decade amounted to a binding promise of marriage, and his decision to walk away caused real, measurable harm.
The court awarded Ms. Torgbor a total of GH₵200,000 in damages, GH₵50,000 for the emotional distress and general wrongdoing, and a further GH₵150,000 specifically for the breach of his promise to marry her.
But the financial payout wasn’t the only victory. The court also declared that Ms. Torgbor has a “beneficial interest” in a two-bedroom apartment at East Legon, the home she shared with Mr. Kontoh.
While he remains the legal owner, the ruling recognises her contribution to the relationship and the property. She was also given the green light to keep a Toyota RAV4 vehicle and an industrial blender, items integral to her life and work that Mr. Kontoh did not even try to claim.
The drama began when Mr. Kontoh filed a court application to evict Ms. Torgbor from the East Legon home. In his claim, he painted her as a mere guest whose invitation to stay had simply been revoked.
He admitted to giving her an engagement ring, but offered a rather unusual explanation: he said it was just to “ward off male attention,” not a symbol of a lifetime commitment.
Ms. Torgbor’s story, however, painted a very different picture. The court heard their relationship started in 2013. Over the years, she became deeply entwined in his life.
She managed funds he sent from abroad to build a six-unit apartment block in East Legon, personally supervising the construction.
At his request, she gave up her home in Dansoman to move into the new property with him in 2017. She cared for his home, supported him emotionally, and even integrated him into her family. When her father died, Mr. Kontoh stood by her side, was publicly introduced as her “in-law,” wrote a tribute, and took part in the funeral rites.
For 11 years, she said, she turned down other suitors, believing her future was with him.
In her ruling, Justice Kwadam found Ms. Torgbor’s account far more convincing. She described Mr. Kontoh’s explanation for the ring as simply not believable.
The judge pointed to the “cumulative” evidence: the long-term cohabitation, the financial intertwining, the public acknowledgement as family, and Ms. Torgbor’s immense personal sacrifices.
Together, these factors created a serious and unequivocal promise to marry, the breach of which has real-world consequences.
The judge noted that the case touches on a significant social reality, the vulnerability of partners in long-term relationships who invest their youth, labour, and emotions based on informal promises of a shared future.
While these promises are often not written down, the court affirmed that breaking them can have deep emotional and economic impacts that deserve legal recognition.
Mr. Kontoh was also ordered to pay interest on the GH₵200,000 from February 16, 2026, and to cover Ms. Torgbor’s legal costs of GH₵20,000.
Both parties have been directed to formally regularise her interest in the six-unit apartment block.