Court grants pastor bail for abetment of crime

Mamponteng (Ash), April 29, GNA - The Rev Daniel Obinim of the God's Way International Church at Duase in the Kwabre District on Thursday appeared before the Mamponteng district magistrate's court charged with abetment of crime.

Rev Obinim is alleged to have connived with Kofi Amoateng, a convict, to defraud one Juliana Acheampong, a trader of 15 million cedis under the pretext of providing her with an Opel Astra taxicab. Amoateng was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment in hard labour in January for defrauding under false pretence. Rev Obinim pleaded not guilty to the charge and was granted bail in the sum of 3 million cedis with a surety to justify and will re-appear on May 5.

Prosecuting, Police Inspector Ben Apuriyure told the court that whilst preaching in November last year, Rev Obinim claimed he saw a vision in which someone in the congregation had been left with a quantity of gold bars by a late brother.

He requested that person to come out to be prayed for. Amoateng showed up at the dais claiming that he was the one the pastor was referring to since his late brother had left him with some quantities of gold, had sold them and bought 75 vehicles with the proceeds.

Inspector Apuriyure said after the church service the Juliana contacted the convict and expressed interest in buying one of the vehicles which he obliged and demanded 15 million cedis. He said after he had collected the amount, Amoateng sent her to the Suame Roundabout in Kumasi where he showed her some fleet of cars, claiming they were all his and that the Juliana should come the following day for her car. But she realised the following day that the convict had no such cars and lodged a complaint with the police who arrested him.