1 month ago
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By Innocent Anaba
LAGOS—Casper Groenen, a nephew of precocious billionaire businessman, Jacobus Roomans, has told a Lagos State High Court sitting successful Tafawa Balewa Square that dementia runs successful their household and that his uncle lacked the intelligence capableness to marque a valid volition successful his last years.
Three sons of Roomans, Simon, Kyle, and Daniel, who are contesting the last volition of their father, had dragged the executors of the will, Luke Ilogu, SAN, Stanley Onuosa, his widow, Maria Mahat, and her son, Romario, earlier Justice Adedayo Oyebanji, insisting that the July 5, 2022, volition is invalid.
The claimants allege that their father, a naturalised Nigerian, had suffered from a cognitive upset since 2010 and lacked the intelligence capableness to execute the document.
They further impeach Mahat of exerting undue power to unafraid an property transportation that near each assets to herself and her son.
The defendants, however, support that Roomans was of dependable caput erstwhile helium signed the will. Both sides person backed their positions with adept aesculapian evidence.
In January 2025, Justice Oyebanji ordered each parties to support the presumption quo ante bellum pending determination of the matter.
At the resumption of proceeding connected Thursday past week, testifying virtually earlier Justice Oyebanji, Groenen, a Dutch national from Venlo, The Netherlands, said his precocious uncle was a precise generous antheral and had placed him connected a £2,000 monthly allowance.
Led successful grounds by the claimants’ lawyer, Dr. Babatunde Ajibade, SAN, Groenen, however, told the tribunal that his uncle began to amusement signs of dementia arsenic acold backmost arsenic 2014, years earlier the disputed volition was signed.
Groenen recalled an incidental wherever his uncle referred to him arsenic a 10-year-old lad contempt him being 50 years aged erstwhile helium visited him successful Nigeria.
He stated that some his parent and her duplicate sister—Roomans’ siblings—suffered dementia earlier their deaths, and that the deceased showed akin symptoms.
“My parent started to endure from dementia successful 2010, and my Aunt Let successful 2011. I judge my precocious uncle besides started suffering from dementia successful 2014.”
Groenen described his uncle arsenic a pugnacious and strong-willed businessman during the years helium worked with him successful England, but said his property and independency had collapsed by 2018.
He recalled gathering him extracurricular the Royal Courts of Justice successful London successful November 2018, wherever the precocious Roomans appeared incapable to enactment without the support of his widow, Maria Mahat.
He besides stated that helium made respective attempts astatine reaching the deceased, but that helium ignored repeated telephone calls and emails helium sent betwixt 2017 and 2018.
Under cross-examination by the defendants’ lawyer, Funke Adekoya, SAN, Groenen, however, stated that his presumption astir Roomans suffering from dementia was strictly his idiosyncratic opinion.
Groenen besides acknowledged that his uncle continued to nonstop him a monthly allowance contempt his assertion that helium suffered from dementia.
He was besides transverse examined by different defence lawyers.
Justice Oyebanji adjourned the substance till September 30, for continuation of trial.
The station Roomans volition saga: Dementia runs successful our household — Groenen, deceased’s nephew tells court appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.
English (US) ·