Pastor in gold deal granted bail

Koforidua, June 4, GNA - The Koforidua District Court "A" on Friday granted bail to Richard Kyeremanteng, a pastor who was involved in a gold deal, and issued a bench warrant for the arrest of two of his accomplices. The court granted him a GHC 5,000 bail and two sureties of which one should be a public servant or civil servant who resides in Koforidua and issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Tetteh and Kofi Wala, both on the run.

Pastor Kyeremanteng pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and defrauding by false pretences and would reappear on June 10. Prosecuting, Police Inspector Eric Twum-Frempong told the court that Mr Frank Gyadu, a businessman who was based in the United States, wanted some gold for rings, chains and bracelets for his wife and himself. He therefore went to Ankaase on May 21 to look for the mineral to buy.

He said at Ankaase, Pastor Kyeremanteng took Mr Gyadu to see Tetteh at Abompe, a galamsey mining town.

At Abompe, Tetteh allegedly sold some substance he claimed was gold weighing seven pounds to Mr Gyedu at GHC 2,500 but he wanted more so Pastor Kyeremanteng took him to Kofi Wala at Osino who also sold substance he claimed to be gold weighing five pounds at GHC 1,800. Mr Twum-Frempong said Mr Gyedu paid the amount in the presence of a witness, Mr Edmund Oko Josiah, who advised that the substance should be certified by a goldsmith to be sure that it was genuine. When the testing was done they found out that they were stones. The prosecutor said Mr Gyedu, with the help of some people, arrested Pastor Kyeremanteng and was brought to the Koforidua Regional CID office where after preliminary investigation he was put before the court.