Rev Asante-Antwi involved in gold scam?

A fierce storm is brewing in the Methodist Church over serious and persistent reports of alleged malfeasance in high places in the church, authoritarian and wanton abuse of power, claims and counterclaims of embezzlement, clear cases of conflict of interest and the scramble for church construction contracts by companies formed by ministers of the gospel reaching to the top hierarchy of the church.

Reports reaching this paper firmly indicate that a group of laymen are preparing a tall list of charges and complaints against those who have been identified in these disgraceful incidents, which in their opinion, if not checked/halted very soon, will land the church in serious trouble with its members and the general public.

Among the several damaging accusations going round is the shocking fact that the contracts for the construction of a host at the Methodist University being allegedly funded by the Laymen’s Movement been mired in corruption, embezzlement and conflict of interests involving some top men and women in the church. One of the companies has been identified as allegedly owned by the Rt.

Rev Asamoah-Okyere, ex-Bishop of the Kumasi Diocese and a c se confidante of the Presiding Bishop. A whopping professional fee of ?300m is alleged to have been paid to the church architect for his services even as he does not pay rent for his church head office space.

In the face of all this, the Presiding Bishop has applied to be made Life Chancellor of his baby, the Methodist University! At the church head office, reports reaching this paper indicate an atmosphere of fear and insecurity as dictatorship an wanton abuse of power reigns supreme in church administration pervades al acts and utterance.

But even here, reports of corruption and malfeasance abound. Cars and spare parts are bought at inflated prices for church officials from the son of the Presiding Bishop domiciled in Germany. The official vehicle of the leading layman, the Lay President , has now been allocated to a long- unmarried female junior minister, Rev Helena Poku-Sarkodie, who in turn has given it out to a friend. It is expected that if this matter gets to the attention of President Kufuor, who is a bosom friend of the new Lay President, Ato Essuman, he will express his displeasure.

In the meantime, running battle is being waged between the Presiding Bishop and the Administrative Bishop, Rt Rev Ofoe Wright on one hand and the Auditor, John Sey, on the other hand on the audited accounts of the church which include the startling fact that the church is said to pay a specific amount for the upkeep of the domestic animals of the Presiding Bishop!

According to the Ghanaian Voice sources, Sey formerly chairman of the Ghana Commercial Bank, is just about giving up on the insistence of the ministers to continue doing the wrong things.

Another startling revelation that has come to the notice of the group is the supposed existence of a gold hoard lodged in Cotonou in the name of a past Presiding Bishop and which the current one is keeping close to his chest for reasons best known to himself. Correspondence, covering this matter, has been made available to this paper and it shows clearly an intent to defraud the church on the part of both parties to this palpable 419 scheme.

In the face of all these happenings, the Presiding Bishop is protecting Rev. Regina Adu from prosecution for doing something that another church worker is in jail for in spite of the fact that the Presiding Bishop was appealed to drop the matter because the mother of the accused had died from shock in the process.

Indeed, church watchers believe this particular incident to be proof of the well known ethnic bias of the Presiding Bishop who has systematically staffed all Fante churches in Accra with Ashanti priests and dared anyone to challenge him and face dismissal. It is believed and expected that very soon, these discontents and complaints will break out in a full scale war in the church reminiscent of what was witnessed on GTV last Sunday at Kasoa.

But knowing the men and women of integrity in the Methodist Church, and the democratic, fair dealing that has characterized its glorious history in this country, cooler counsel will prevail for the right things to be done to the glory of God and the nation.