Pastor Love's 48-month sentence could be interpreted as 6 years - Lawyer

Lawyer Ralph Agyapong, brother of Assin Central MP Kennedy Agyapong, has clarified that Pastor Love Hammond’s 48-month jail term can be interpreted in prison terms as a six-year sentence.

He explained that while the term is officially 48 months, it could extend up to six years if the court chooses to keep him in jail for that duration or release him earlier than that.

Ralph, in an interview with Peace FM, stated, “In prison terms, 48 months is equivalent to six years. However, it seems Pastor Love may serve the exact 48 months since the judge was lenient, considering he is a man of God.”

Lawyer Ralph recounted the challenges they faced in arresting Pastor Love, stating that all attempts to get him to even write a police statement were unsuccessful, as he went into hiding.

He said he subsequently heard that Pastor Love was scheduled to appear on a show at PeaceFM, prompting him to inform the police, who then laid an ambush and successfully arrested him.

“Anytime Sammy (the complainant)’s brother called him, Pastor Love would usually hurl insults at him. So, when we heard he was coming to your station for an event, we tipped off the police, and they caught him,” Ralph explained.

He also mentioned that Pastor Love consistently maintained that the case would eventually turn into a “foolish case” and that he intended to even travel abroad.

“Pastor Love told us he knows the case would be a foolish one, and he was planning to go to Canada,” Ralph said.

According to Ralph, the case has taken a significant toll on the complainant, who spent over a year in Ghana due to the legal proceedings and nearly lost his mortgage abroad.

“Sammy spent more than a year in Ghana because of this case. Getting Pastor Love to write even his statement was very difficult, as we could never locate him. Sammy nearly lost his mortgage, which is why he officially filed a complaint and eventually left,” Ralph disclosed.

Addressing claims that Pastor Love might be released if he settles with the complainant, Lawyer Ralph emphasised, “Even if he pays back, it wouldn’t erase the conviction. It will ultimately be at the court's discretion. We still do not know the whereabouts of the car.”

Narrating briefly what really led to Pastor Love's arrest, Ralph said, “Pastor Love convinced Samuel Amankwah, his childhood friend, that he could clear the vehicle (Toyota Highlander), and this was through his sister.

"Samuel knew Pastor Love well and would not have allowed him to handle the car clearance himself.

"So, Samuel’s sister, Margaret, who was very close to Pastor Love, applied pressure on Pastor Love, and he managed to clear the vehicle.

“Pastor Love claimed that everyone interested in buying the car offered no more than GH¢48,000 for a vehicle that was purchased for $18,000.”

To date, nobody knows the whereabouts of the vehicle and Pastor Love cannot account for the car he claimed to have sold.

This case, which has spanned from 2017, concluded with Pastor Love being found guilty of theft, appropriation, and dishonesty.

EB/AE