Senior Pastor ordered to account to mother church

Accra, March 17, GNA- An Accra Fast Track Court on Wednesday ordered Reverend Samuel Owusu Ansah, Senior Pastor of the Ghana Believers Church to render accounts of his stewardship as Managing Director of the church's school complex located at Mpoase and Opetekwei, near Dansoman from June 1996 to 2004.

The Court presided over by Mr. Justice Yaw Appau also ordered him to refrain from unilaterally running the affairs of the Ghana Believers Church Preparatory School and Junior Secondary School (JSS).

The court further ordered the Chief Registry of the Lands Commission to rectify documents covering two lands belonging to the Church and located at Opete Kwei and Mpoase, which had been registered in the name of Rev. Ansah, the defendant and be reverted to the Church.

It further awarded a 10-million cost against Rev. Ansah. Delivering its judgment, the court granted three relieves sought by the elders of the church, who were the plaintiff in the case.

The elders of the church, sought for a declaration of the Ghana Believers Church Preparatory School and JSS, an order of rendering account by the defendant from June 1996 to 2004 and perpetual injunction restraining Rev. Ansah from holding himself as the sole owner of the church's school complex.

The plaintiffs said the church established the school to provide education to the wards of members of the church.

It stated further that the church used its resources to purchase a plot of land to put up the school complex following the appointment of a Board of Governors for the school.

The defendant, according to the plaintiffs, was appointed by the Board to head the school and was therefore accountable to the church and board members.

In 1992, Rev. Ansah rather registered the school at the Registrar-General's Department and began behaving as the owner of the school.

Rev. Ansah therefore terminated the appointment of teachers in the school and failed to render accounts to the Board. In furtherance to this, he attempted to change the name of the school by eliminating the name of the Church.

He, however, denied claims by the elders and contended that since the establishment of the church in 1902, it was unpopular, hence in 1992, he decided to popularise it by establishing a school.

The defendant also argued that he leased the land to the church. The Court, however, noted that Rev. Ansah's witnesses produced to it, were not truthful adding, it was untrue that the defendant had established another school of his own by name the New Testament International School at Opetikwei, near Dansoman.

The court was of the view that the establishment of the New Testament school was non-existent and the defendant clandestinely changed the original school to the New Testament Preparatory School. The Court stated that the defendant failed to provide documentary evidence on the church's school complex. It noted that documents produced by the defendant on the school, in connection with purchase of the land, registration of the land and incorporation of the school bore those same dates.

The court asked: How can someone buy a plot of land, register it the same day and begin building on the same land.?

"But the defendant forgot that the plaintiffs had all documents pertaining to purchase and establishment of the school intact, Defendant wanted to throw dust into the eyes of the court"

The court said the defendant was never the grantor of the land but he only misrepresented the owners of the land to sign documents on the land as his personal property.

This the court said:" Defendant considered material things to the detriment of the spiritual growth of the church."