Anim-Blankson jailed four years

Atebubu (Brong Ahafo) 19 Feb '99

A 47-year-old ex-convict, Henry Kofi Anim-Blankson, who eloped with a Roman Catholic nun to Nigeria, has been sentenced to four years' imprisonment in hard labour by an Atebubu Community Tribunal on his own plea of guilty to three counts of stealing, fraud and posing as a reverend minister. The Prosecutor told the tribunal, chaired by Mr Adu-Twum Mmorosah, that Anim-Blankson, introduced himself to Mr Prosper Afesi, secretary of the Continuation Apostolic Church at Atebubu as a Reverend Henry Parker, a pastor based in Switzerland and was on holidays in the Ghana. Mr Owusu said the accused later brought out a video cassette on his pastoral activities which both of them viewed. Based on this, Mr Afesi became convinced that he was a reverend minister, and therefore, when accused demanded 500,000 cedis from him (Afesi) for charity, Mr Afesi readily obliged.

The prosecutor said after collecting the money, the accused asked Mr Afesi to accompany him to Kumasi for a refund from a friend. When both went to Kumasi, and got down from a taxi they had boarded, the accused quickly boarded the same taxi again and sped off with some documents and a bag belonging to Mr Afesi. Chief Inspector Owusu said sometime last month, the Police at Mampong-Ashanti arrested the accused, who was alleged to have eloped with a Roman Catholic nun, Sister Georgina Yaa Achiaa, and when Mr Afesi got the information, he went reported to the Police.