Police have withdrawn the case in which the General Overseer of the Glorious Word Power Ministry Rev. Isaac Owusu Bempah and three others were facing charges including causing harm to police officers.
Police Prosecutor Inspector Jonas Lawer on Wednesday, December 14, told the court that the police was withdrawing the charges against the accused persons.
But, he did not assign any reason for the withdrawal of the case.
The Circuit Court (2) presided over by Her Honour Mrs Rosemond Baah Torsu consequently struck out the case as withdrawn and discharged the accused persons.
The latest withdrawal came exactly two weeks after Owusu Bempah and six others were on November 30, discharged by another Circuit Court, following a similar withdrawal for threat of death on Nana Agradaa.
In respect of this case, the prosecution had filed and served on all the accused persons with all necessary disclosures and witness statements it intends to rely on.
The trial was then set to commence on January 19, this year, but was later adjourned sine die until it was subsequently withdrawn.
Rev. Owusu Bempah together with Michael Boateng, Frederick Ohene and Nathaniel Agyekum all pleaded not guilty to two charges each of Abetment to cause harm and unlawful damage.
They were granted GHc100, 000 bail each with a surety to justify.
Brief facts
The brief facts of the case as presented to the court by Detective Chief Inspector Dennis Terkpetey were that, the complainants are police personnel stationed at the intelligence unit of the Ghana Police Service at Police Headquarters.
According to the prosecutor, the first accused person (Rev Owusu Bempah) is the General Overseer of the Glorious Word Power Ministry International while second, third and fourth accused persons are members of the Church.
He told the court that, on September 9, 2021, the first accused and some members of his church including one Mensah Ofori, an associate pastor of the first accused person, beseeched the premises of Evangelist Patricia Oduro Koranteng alias Nana Agradaa and threatened to kill her which video went viral on social media.
He said, on September 12, the police identified some of the young men including the said Mensah Ofori and Bright Berchie as among the two people in the viral video threatening the complainant and brandishing a pistol.
He said, the Complainants (Police personnel) onboard Toyoya Corolla with registration number NR9602-20 visited the church of first accused at Sakaman after the Church had closed service to arrest Mensah Ofori and Bright Adu Berchie.
He said, another team of plain clothes policemen had arrested Mensah Ofori to the Dansoman Police station and detained him.
Chief Inspector Terkpetey said, the first accused upon seeing the police personnel ordered his church members to beat and kill them.
“He further ordered his church members to march to Dansoman police station to free Mensah Ofori.
“Some of the church members among whom were the second, third and fourth accused set up on the police and beat them up amidst firing of gun shot, disarmed the police of two service rifles and vandalised the Toyota corolla saloon car.”
According to him, four police officers were injured and were admitted at the police hospital for treatment.
“On September 14, the policemen were discharged for them to report himself periodically for review.
“Investigations also led to the retrieval of one of the service weapons from a church member,” he explained.
He said, “a second weapon was also retrieved through the help of the station officer of the Dansoman police.
After Investigations, the accused persons were charged and arraigned before the court.
