Obinim's accuser wanted GHS11.6m gold money exorcised - Atta Akyea

Bishop Daniel Obinim’s accuser wanted the controversial man of God to exorcise an amount of GHS11.6 million, being proceeds realised from the sale of a quantity of gold belonging to his (accuser’s) family, lawyer for the beleaguered founder of the International God’s Way Church, Mr Samuel Atta Akyea has said.

“Apparently, somebody is alleging that he is coming from a home where they have so much gold and he sold the gold and I think raked in about GHS11.6million but it seems to him that there is some spirit behind the sale or whatever it is, so, he wanted Bishop Obinim to pray, so, he handed over the whole amount of money to him (Obinim) and Bishop Obinim has not given him the money back,” the Abuakwa South MP told Prince Minkah on the Class Executive Breakfast Show on Wednesday, 23 August.

Bishop Obinim was arrested and handcuffed on Tuesday by the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service. He is being investigated for defrauding the complainant by false pretences. “This is the story for which he is being charged and for which they said he will not be admitted to bail,” Mr Atta Akyea said.

He spent Tuesday night in cells and has been going through bail process on Wednesday at the Nima Police Station where he was transferred to. Hundreds of his church members have massed up at the station to demand his release.

Mr Akyea, however, expressed reservations about how his client was treated as a “common criminal.” “…What was very sad for me was that a man who has voluntarily gone to the police station and you handcuff him, you could see today he’s been at the front pages of the Ghanaian Times and the Daily Graphic as if the nation hasn’t got anything serious to discuss, as if they need this kind of pictures to overshadow the Montie FM issues and I’m embarrassed by it, I don’t think that the nation should stoop that low, we have more serious things to look at, not Obinim’s matters.”

In Mr Atta Akyea view, fraud allegations are normal issues which need not be blown out of proportion for propaganda purposes. “They are normal things, if you’ve practiced criminal law before, they are very normal, fraud and even murder, so if you look at priority and what is important to Ghana, do not make normal things extraordinary, if you did that then you have a motive.”

“If you look at what is topical, it’s as if this is supposed to overshadow issues concerning the pardoning of these individuals [Montie 3] so, please this is my view and I think they’ve made it too melodramatic. A man who is known and notorious should be handcuffed, what for, where is running to? Do you know who is supposed to be handcuffed? The hardened criminals who they’ve been searching for years and when they are so arrested, for fear that they might bolt, they handcuff them, so what is the drama about, what is it that somebody is trying to secure? I don’t understand.”

According to Mr Atta Akyea, although “due process was followed” in effecting the arrest of his client, “the drama and propaganda was needless.” “You don’t handcuff somebody who you know is decent, that’s what it is. …He is not a hardened criminal to be handcuffed and then used on the front pages of newspapers as if this is the most important issue that happened to Ghana. Treating him like common criminal is not dignifying,” he added.