Rev. Owusu Bempah
The General Overseer of Glorious Word Power Ministry International, Rev. Isaac Owusu-Bempah was rearrested yesterday immediately after he and two others were discharged in a criminal matter at an Accra Circuit Court.
The pastor, who was standing trial for allegedly instigating a threat of death against fetish priest turned Evangelist, Patricia Oduro Koranteng, aka Okomfo Agradaa, was discharged by the court presided over by Her Honour Afia Owusua Appiah after the prosecution withdrew the charges before the court.
But the accused persons were immediately arrested in a dramatic fashion and put before another Circuit Court.
He was arraigned together with Mensah Ofori, Bright Berchie, Kwabena Nyarko, Nana Acheampong, Nana Brown and Kwame Amoh of Accra based Peace FM.
They are facing a total of 11 counts of conspiracy, offensive conduct conducive to the breach of the peace contrary to Section 207 of the Criminal and Other Offences Act (Act 29), threat of death and abetment of crime, to which they all pleaded not guilty.
Bail Application
Gary Nimako Marfo, counsel for the accused persons prayed the court to grant them bail pending the determination of the case.
He told the court that all the accused person have fixed places of abode and will not in any way hinder police investigation when granted bail, adding that he was aware the police had already completed their investigation.
He said Rev. Owusu-Bempah, Mensah Ofori and Bright Berchie have already been granted bail by another Circuit Court while the rest of the accused person were also on police enquiry bail, stressing that none of the accused had done anything to breach the bail conditions.
Mr. Nimako Marfo then pleaded with the court to grant Rev. Owusu-Bempah a self recognizance bail, saying he is public figure and well known Ghanaian.
Prosecution
The Prosecution led by Chief Inspector Dennis Terkpetey did not oppose the grant of bail but opposed the application for a self recognizance bail requested by the lawyer.
He said the prosecution has brought an issue to the court and not a personality, hence the court in exercising its discretion should consider the issues and not personalities.
He prayed the court to impose bail conditions that will compel the accused persons to appear for the trial, adding that the court should consider the charges for which the accused persons were arraigned and not personality because no one is above the law.
Bail
The court presided over by Her Honour Evelyn Asamoah granted the accused persons bail of GH¢100,000 each with two sureties each.
She ordered the prosecution to serve the accused persons with disclosures by December 1, and adjourned the case to December 14, 2021, for continuation.
Case Fact
The brief facts of the case as presented by Chief Inspector Terkpetey indicated that Rev. Owusu-Bempah in the company of about 45 well-built men stormed the Thunder Plaza belonging to Agradaa to attack her.
It said the accused and his men did not meet Agradaa and subsequently went to her house at New Aplaku where they threatened her with word such as “we will kill you!”
According the brief facts of the case, the police visited the scene and met a group of well-built men wielding cutlasses and other offensive weapons shouting and hurling insults.
“Eight vehicles and twelve motorbikes were also parked on the street in front of the house. The first accused (Rev. Owusu-Bempah) was also seen seated in a black Toyota Land Cruiser instructing and urging the men to move into the house of the complainant (Agradaa) and bring her out for her to be killed,” the documents revealed.
According to the facts, the situation ‘calmed’ down and the police invited both Agradaa and Rev. Owusu-Bempah to follow them to the police station for investigation but Rev. Owusu-Bempah ignored the police and drove off with his group.
Court documents state that the Weija Divisional Police officially wrote to Rev. Owusu-Bempah inviting him to report and assist the police with investigation but he refused to accept the invitation.
The prosecution continued that Mensah Ofori and Kwabena Nyarko were at the scene and also issued threats to Agradaa, daring her to come out if she is a woman, and also threatened to deal with her and nothing would happen to them (accused persons).
It further stated that Nana Acheampong and Nana Brown were also seen at the residence of Agradaa charging the crowd to kill her if she comes out, adding that the two also threatened to kill the complainant.
Again, the fact also stated that Kwame Amoh who is a radio presenter also went to the crime scene to interview Rev. Owusu-Bempah “thereby instigating the other accused persons and others at large to charge on the complainant to kill her.”
BY Gibril Abdul Razak