Rev. Owusu-Bempah
The General Overseer of Glorious Word Power Ministries International, Reverend Isaac Owusu-Bempah was yesterday granted GH¢200,000 bail by a High Court in Accra after his arrest on Sunday by the police for alleged threat of death.
As part of the bail conditions, the court presided over by Justice Comfort Tasaime, ordered the popular religious leader to provide two sureties but without any justification.
However, four others namely Mensah Ofori, Michael Boateng, Frederick Ohene and Nathaniel Agyekum who have been charged alongside Rev. Owusu-Bempah, were also granted GH¢200,000 bail each with two sureties to be justified.
After being arraigned on Monday, an Accra Circuit Court presided over by Her Honour Afia Owusua Appiah had refused Rev. Owusu-Bempah and four of his church members bail and remanded them into police custody until September 20.
On Monday night, Rev. Owusu-Bempah, who had been remanded during the day, reportedly fell ill few hours after his incarceration and had to be rushed to the Police Hospital in Accra.
However, there were wild rumours that because Rev. Owusu-Bempah was powerful in the country, he was feigning sickness to avoid sleeping in police cells.
Sources said upon arrival at the health facility Monday night, doctors on duty attended to the man of God, after which they discharged him back to police cells to continue with his one-week remand as ordered by the Circuit Court.
Checks at the Police Hospital confirmed he was brought there briefly for medical attention after a health scare and was returned to the cells.
Lawyers Effort
As Rev. Owusu-Bempah was on remand, his legal team led by Gary Nimako Marfo, worked assiduously at a higher court to secure bail for him.
Rev. Owusu-Bempah and four others namely Mensah Ofori, Michael Boateng, Frederick Ohene and Nathaniel Agyekum were charged with six counts of threat of death and assault.
Another suspect identified on the charge sheet as Berchie is at large and the police have said they are looking for him.
The accused persons are facing charges for allegedly threatening to kill fetish priest turned evangelist, Patricia Oduro Koranteng, popularly known as Okomfo Agradaa.
They all pleaded not guilty to the charges and were remanded by the court to enable the police investigate the matter.
Brief Facts
According to court documents, 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 met the absence of Agradaa and subsequently went to her house at New Aplaku where they threatened her with words such as “we will kill you.”
According to 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 hailing 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,” the documents revealed.
The facts said that 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.
According to the documents, on September 12, 2021, police identified one of the young men who went to the house of Agradaa to threaten her and later went to the church to arrest him but met another group of plain cloth police officers who had arrested him and some others.
“The first accused (Rev. Owusu-Bempah) on seeing the police personnel ordered his church members to beat and kill them. He further ordered the church members to march to Dansoman Police Station to free the second, third, fourth and fifth accused persons,” the facts stated.
The documents continued that “the church members set upon the police and beat them up amidst firing of gunshots, disarmed the police of two service riffles and vandalised the car the police were using. Two police men were injured in the process.”
By Gibril Abdul Razak