Fetish priest remanded into police custody

A circuit court at Nsawam Adoagyiri in the Eastern region has remanded a fetish priest at Pampaso number one into Police custody.

Charged with fraudulent breach of trust the court presided over by Ms Audrey Kocuvie-Tay ordered that Loius Trukusu who pleaded not guilty should reappear on February 1st 2019.

Prosecuting, Chief Police Inspector Alex Cosmos told the court that somewhere in May 2018 the complainant in the case, Kwabena Kwakye informed his son, Dominic Kwakye and his brother-in-law Kwabena Ato that his late father had disclosed to him that he once buried some old schnapp bottles which contained mercury in his farm.

The prosecution said the complainant was of the view that the said bottles of mercury are now expensive on the market and needed someone who could exhume it for him due to certain spiritual beliefs.

He said Ato discussed the issue with one Donkor a witness in this case who introduced them to the accused as a fetish priest who could help.

The prosecution said that the complainant and Ato contacted Trukusu at Pampaso number one, and he agreed to exhume the bottles at a cost.

The complainant later went with Trukusu to Agona Duato where the farm is and showed him the spot, the accused then demanded for a sheep and advanced payment of GH500.00 which was provided by the complaint.

The Prosecution said the accused then dug out the schnnapp bottles at about 2200 hours after which he told the complainant that he needed to do some spiritual cleansing on the bottles at the shrine before handing it over to him.

He said the fetish priest again demanded GH3000.00 to buy some items for the cleansing.

The prosecution said since the complainant could not afford that amount he relied on his prospective buyers who came from Sunyani to pay that amount.

The Prosecution said after receiving the money the accused vanished into thin air and all efforts to trace him to collect the bottles failed until on the16th January 2019, when he returned to the house and a complaint was made to the police against him where he was arrested and after investigation charged with the offence.