An Evangelist and Prophetess have been slapped with an 11-year jail term for stealing GH¢265,000 from a 72-year-old retired lecturer’s account.

According to a DailyGuide report dated July 6, 2023, the two; Samuel Kwesi Tsogbe, 33-year-old evangelist and Esther Christ, 63-year-old prophetess who are self-ordained pastors of Cornerstone Ministry International, siphoned the money from the account of the lecturer who is sick and bedridden.

After stealing the money, Tsogbe and Christ opened an account with another bank and channeled the stolen funds into the said account.

The two were charged with stealing.

The court presided over by Mrs. Sedinam Awo Balokah, convicted the accused persons on their own pleas as they both pleaded guilty to the offence.

According to the prosecuting officer, Chief Inspector Maxwell Lanyo, who presented the fact brief to the court, indicated that, the persons travelled from Kpando to Accra to offer prayers for the bedridden lecturer.

It was during their stay at the lecturer's house that they committed the crime.

After which they sent away the lecturer's house help, whom they claimed was the cause of the victim's predicament.

The prosecutor named Margaret Dzandu, a teacher and the victim's niece who lives in Kpando in the Volta Region, as the complainant, while the victim is a retiree who lives in Danfa in the Greater Accra Region.

According to the persecuting officer, the accused persuaded the complainant in 2022 that they had a revelation about her uncle's situation and convinced her to send them to his residence to pray for the victim.

The prosecution said the accused persons occupied the home of the victim for about five months.

While there, they sacked the housekeeper and engaged a new house help from Kpando.

On May 4, 2022, Evangelist Tsogbe and Prophetess Esther took the victim to NIB bank, to withdraw GH200,000 from his account. They also stole the victim's ATM card and cheque book from the National Investment Bank (NIB) after he did the withdrawal.

The prosecution stated that on September 22, 2022, they began transferring funds from the victim's NIB account to Tsogbe's account until June 2, 2023.

Chief Inspector Maxwell Lanyo added that the complainant visited the victim who needed money in June 2023. During a search of the house, the victim's ATM card and cheque book were not found.

It said the complainant's preliminary investigations showed that the accused persons had stolen her uncle's ATM card and cheque book.

It added that the complainant reported the matter to the police at Kpando and an extract was given to her to send to the police at Ayi Mensah.

When the accused were arrested by police, they admitted to stealing the victims' ATM card and cheque book, which were recovered.

According to police investigations, the accused purchased a tipper truck, a Hyundai Mighty 2 vehicle, and rented a shop in the Oti Region.

The Evangelist Samuel Kwesi Tsogbe pleaded with the court to forgive him as he did not know his action would turn out this way.

“I apologise for this; have learnt my lesson,” he said.

Esther Christ, the Prophetess, also told the court that she was a foreigner who came to Ghana through another prophet.
"I sincerely apologize," Esther told the court.

The judge, Sedinam Awo Balokah, described the accused persons conduct as "unpalatable".

The report added that the court was not impressed at all with the way people were using spirituality to exploit the vulnerable, hence handing down a deterrent sentence.

It ordered the seizure of items purchased and owned by the accused persons.

The court also froze the account of Tsogbe and restrained him or other persons from withdrawing money from the said account.

The two were served with a total jail term of 11 years. Samuel Kwesi Tsogbe, the evangelist was sentenced to six years imprisonment, while Esther Christ was sentenced to five years imprisonment.

NW/WA



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