Self-styled pastor fined for stealing

Ejisu (Ash), Jan 28, GNA-A 30-year-old self-styled pastor of the Church of Pentecost was on Monday fined 1.8 million cedis for stealing money belonging to the Ejisu Church of Pentecost.

Akwasi Osei pleaded guilty and would go to prison for five years in default.

Prosecuting, Inspector Nkansah Twumasi-Ankrah told the court that on October 28, last year, the accused introduced himself to Mr Kofi Siaw, financial secretary of the Ejisu Church of Pentecost who was then collecting the weekly donation from members, that he was a pastor of the Church at Dunkwa-On-Offin and was looking for the residence of the Ejisu pastor.

He said Mr Siaw asked the accused to wait at the mission house of the pastor but after sometime when the pastor had not returned, he asked the accused to call back the following day.

Inspector Twumasi-Ankrah said the accused returned the following day and met the pastor's wife and demanded to see the pastor since he was also a pastor at Dunkwa-On-Offin and also asked for water. He said the accused was then given a chair in front of the house and after the pastor's wife had served him with water, she left the house without locking the doors.

Inspector Twumasi-Ankrah said the accused, realising that the doors were not locked, went into the bedroom ransacked and made away with an amount of 830,000 cedis being the money Mr Siaw collected from the members.

He said the accused then bolted to Dunkwa following which a report was made to the Dunkwa police who arrested and brought him back to the Ejisu police.