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Crime & Punishment of Friday, 9 November 2012

Source: GNA

Prophetess speaks tongues in court

A Prophetess who caused a stir at an Accra Circuit Court when she suddenly got possessed and started speaking tongues to put the "fear of God" into the presiding judge, was on Thursday remanded into prison custody.

Florence Kekeli Akpene, a prophetess of the Akofananami Society Church whose action infuriated the judge, has been charged for defrauding Daniel Kuagbenu, a pensioner of GH? 60,089.

The accused has pleaded not guilty to the charge and has been remanded to reappear on November 22, 2012.

The prophetess who seemed not to be aware of what had happened to her, was later told by her father of the things that had taken place in the courtroom and she started crying when she was being escorted to the court cells.

Mr George Asumani, Counsel for the accused at the time of the incident was praying the court to admit the accused to bail since the offence was a bailable one.

However, Mr Ebenezer Osei Darko, the presiding judge got incensed because the accused‘s action appear to be a ploy to scare him to grant her bail.

Mr Osei Darko retorted by saying “You cannot scare me with your tongues, I am a Christian and I believe in God. I am remanding the accused into prison custody, so that when she goes there she can go and threatened them too".

The prosecutor, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Alex Odonkor said the complainant Daniel Kuagbenu is a pensioner and resides at Sowutuom, where the accused also resides.

He said between August 2011 and May 2012 the accused collected an amount of GH? 60,089 from the complainant for 18 revelations she claimed she had seen involving the complainant and his family for which if certain rituals were not performed would lead to the death of the complainant and the family.

He said for these, the complainant paid an amount of money ranging from GH?150 to GH?8,000 depending on the type of revelation, for the prophetess to prepare a concoction to purify the complainant and his family from the spirit of death.

DSP Odonkor said the accused claimed the wife of the complainant was pregnant with twins and needed protection otherwise would lose the pregnancy.

He said the accused prepared a concoction and gave it to the wife of the complainant and collected GH? 6,000. The complainant’s wife after taking the concoction fell unconscious for three days.

He said a pregnancy test taken by the complainant’s wife after seeing her doctors also disproved that she was pregnant.

DSP Odonkor also said a week later the accused had collected GH? 6,000 stating that she had seen in spirit that someone had inserted stone particles into the male organ of Amos Kuagbenu, son of the complainant.

He said the accused prepared another concoction for the son of the complainant and he also became unconscious after taking the concoction and regained consciousness three days later.

He said later the complainant became suspicious of the accused's revelations about him and his family and reported the matter to the Police.