Roomans will Saga: Dementia runs in our family —Groenen tells Court

By Innocent Anaba

Casper Groenen, a nephew of precocious billionaire businessman, Jacobus Roomans, has told a Lagos High Court sitting astatine Tafawa Balewa Square that dementia runs successful their family, insisting his uncle lacked the intelligence capableness to marque a valid volition successful his last years.

Roomans’ 3 sons—Simon, Kyle, and Daniel—are challenging their father’s July 5, 2022, will, claiming helium suffered from a cognitive upset since 2010 and could not person validly executed it. They allege that Roomans’ widow, Maria Mahat, exerted undue power to guarantee the property was near wholly to herself and her son, Romario.

The defendants, including Mahat and the will’s executors, Luke Ilogu, SAN, and Stanley Onuosa, support that Roomans was of dependable caput erstwhile helium signed the document. Both sides person presented aesculapian grounds to backmost their claims.

Testifying virtually, Groenen, a Dutch citizen, told Justice Adedayo Oyebanji that his uncle began showing signs of dementia arsenic acold backmost arsenic 2014. He recalled Roomans erstwhile referred to him arsenic a 10-year-old contempt being 50 astatine the time. According to him, Roomans’ 2 sisters besides suffered from dementia earlier their deaths.

He further claimed that by 2018, the erstwhile pugnacious businessman had mislaid his independence, recounting an brushwood successful London wherever Roomans appeared incapable to enactment without his wife’s approval.

However, nether cross-examination, Groenen admitted his presumption was a idiosyncratic opinion, though helium acknowledged that his uncle inactive sent him a £2,000 monthly allowance during the play helium claimed helium had dementia.

Justice Oyebanji adjourned the substance till September 30.

The station Roomans volition Saga: Dementia runs successful our household —Groenen tells Court appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.