Accra, July 30, GNA - An Accra Circuit Court has directed the State to apply to the court to close down Conquerors Redemption Ministries International, Achimota, if the Police was unable to apprehend its Pastor, Richard Kwesi Dwofuor.
The court presided over by Mr D.E.K. Daketse had issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Dwufuor, who was being sought for allegedly trafficking fake GH¢50 notes totalling GH¢110,000 retrieved at the church premises.
According to the court it was alleged that the supposed church was being used as a mint, hence the need to close down the church.
When the case was called on Friday, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) A.A. Annor told the court that officials of Bank of Ghana had informed the prosecution that they were still working on the currency and would soon submit their report to the Director of Bureau of National Investigations (BNI).
ASP Annor said that the BNI would in turn inform the court of the investigations.
Meanwhile, ASP Annor said the accomplices Dwufuor, Charles Tawiah, a petty trader and church member and Reverend Isaac Oti Agyemang, a Pastor of the church, who were granted bail on July 14, have filed an application to vary the bail condition.
They had been admitted to GH¢150,000 bail with three sureties each to be justified after pleading not guilty to conspiracy, printing and possessing fake currency.
ASP Annor said that he accused persons had filed the application praying the court to vary their bail terms but that had been addressed to the Attorney General.
The Attorney General has therefore assigned Mr Paul Asibi Abarigah, an Attorney to the case.
After Mr Abarigah had announced his presence, the court pointed out that it had no copy of the application filed by the accused persons.
The court said it ought to be furnished with a copy and the State ought to respond to some of the issues raised.
It debunked defence assertion that the rights of the accused persons, who were granted bail, were being infringed and adjourned the matter to August 16 to enable defence counsel, Mr Yaw Anokye Frimpong to put his house in order.
ASP Annor told the court that security personnel received information that some people had in their possession GH¢50 notes totalling GH¢110,000 suspected to be fake in the premises of the church, and were about to transact business with the money.
He said that personnel of BNI were dispatched to Achimota, and on their arrival at the church premises, the team met the accused who had in their possession a black laptop bag containing the money persons without Dwofuor.
The prosecution said they were picked up and during interrogation said it was Dwofuor, who handed over the money to them and asked them to wait while he secured a prospective buyer.
ASP Annor said the accused were escorted to BNI headquarters for further investigations, where it was detected that some of the notes bore the same serial numbers.
