A Ghanaian pastor, Larry Odonkor has failed to set aside a two-year jail sentence against him in a case in which he has been accused of stealing.
This is the second time Pastor Odonkor’s appeal challenging his sentence has been dismissed, following his conviction in Madagascar in 2023.
Pastor Odonkor, formerly of the Lighthouse Chapel-Madagascar, had earlier been sentenced after being found guilty of fraudulently stealing and selling a vehicle belonging to the church, embezzling and dissipating the proceeds.
A warrant for his arrest has been issued and addressed to the two national heads of the country’s security agencies.
He is to be arrested and jailed anytime he enters Madagascar, either by air or by land.
Pastor Odonkor is one of six former pastors who dragged the church to court in Ghana in April 2021, accusing the church of illegality, unpaid SSNIT contributions, breach of contract, and maltreatment. However, a SSNIT report published by the Daily Graphic in August 2021 exonerated the church of the allegations.
In a separate case currently before the courts in Ghana, the Attorney-General is challenging a Circuit Court decision that acquitted Pastor Odonkor of the charge of stealing monies entrusted to him by the church to pay SSNIT contributions and GRA taxes.
The AG argues that the trial judge erred in holding that the pastor had indeed taken the monies but that the squandering of those monies was not dishonest.
According to the Prosecutor, Pastor Odonkor, as the Head Pastor of the LCI-Madagascar, masterminded the fraudulent sale of the car in Madagascar and appropriated the entire proceeds to himself.
Before leaving Madagascar for Accra, the prosecution said he instructed three people, including his assistants, to help him sell the car.
Following his conviction, he filed an appeal through a lawyer.
Appeal
In 2023, he engaged a lawyer, Johary Stephen Rasendrarivo, who represented him and presented arguments on his behalf during the two appeals, supported by a series of documents, but he lost both appeals.
Pastor Odonkor was notified by the Court of Appeal by DHL, and the first appeal was fixed for hearing on December 12, 2023, and then adjourned to January 30, 2024.
On both occasions, his lawyer, Mr Rasendrarivo, was present, but Pastor Odonkor was not.
The case was then adjourned to March 26, 2024, but both the pastor and his lawyer were absent.
Notice was then served on them for the next date, and the court issued an ultimatum requiring their presence.
Once again, both the lawyer and Pastor Odonkor were absent, despite being notified of the court dates.
The first appeal was eventually dismissed on May 7, 2024.
2nd Appeal
Pastor Odonkor’s lawyer immediately filed another appeal, and in August 2025, the lawyer served several documents on the prosecution to support the appeal.
These documents included WhatsApp chats between Pastor Odonkor and an LCI Madagascar officer, in which the pastor denied selling the car.
Source: Adom Online
