An Accra Circuit Court presided over by His Honour Kwabena Kodua Obiri-Yeboah has granted bail to a 38-year-old self-styled pastor, Wisdom Kwame Adu, also known as Agya, who has been charged with 11 counts of stealing from his deceased friend, Emmanuel Offei Awuku.
The accused pleaded not guilty to all charges and was granted bail in the sum of GH¢150,000 with one surety, to be justified by landed property.
The case has been adjourned to July 24, 2025.
According to court documents, the accused, described as a close friend of the deceased, is alleged to have dishonestly appropriated a Range Rover vehicle, an Ecobank ATM card, and a total of GH¢27,000 in multiple cash withdrawals following the death of Mr. Awuku.
The brief facts of the case, as presented by ASP Issah Achib and led by Detective Sergeant Joseph Afeti, indicate that the deceased, a resident of Akropong Akuapem, had been admitted at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in April 2025 but was voluntarily discharged on April 30, 2025.
On May 26, the accused and the deceased travelled together to Kumasi in the deceased’s unregistered Range Rover to seek prayers and healing from another pastor, identified as Frank Asukwa, also known as Ohene.
However, the deceased reportedly passed away on June 5, 2025, within the church premises of Pastor Ohene. The accused transported the body to the family and handed over the deceased’s mobile phone but failed to return the vehicle and secretly retained the deceased’s ATM card.
Subsequent bank alerts received on the deceased’s phone revealed multiple unauthorized withdrawals made between June 8 and June 10, from Ecobank ATMs located at Kumasi Tanoso and Pokuase-Amasaman in Accra.
These included individual transactions of GH¢4,000, GH¢1,000, and several other sums, totaling GH¢27,000.
The deceased’s elder brother and complainant, Samuel Awuku Darko, lodged a formal complaint with the CID Headquarters, which led to the arrest of the accused on June 17, 2025, at his residence in Korleyman near Medie, Accra.
A search conducted at the premises led to the recovery of GH¢35,356 in cash and £40 in foreign currency.
While investigations continue, the court was informed that a postmortem examination is yet to be performed on the deceased to ascertain the cause of death. The body remains preserved in a private mortuary at Tinkong near Koforidua.
