A 55-year-old Pastor, Stephen Opoku, has been granted bail in the sum of GH¢150,000 with two sureties, one of which must be justified with a land document.
Pastor Opoku is facing charges of defrauding by false pretenses, in violation of Section 131 of the Criminal Offences Act 1960 (Act 29).
The Accra Circuit Court 8, presided over by His Honour Jojo Amoah, specified that the necessary documents for the surety must be signed and stamped before being accepted.
Pastor Poku is expected to re-appear in court on October 17, 2024.
During the pastor’s first appearance, the prosecutor, Inspector Nego, opposed the initial bail application, stating that Pastor Opoku had previously gone into hiding after being granted bail by the Korle-Bu Police Station.
He had to be re-arrested through police intelligence after a court-issued arrest warrant on October 10, 2023.
Inspector Nego argued that the pastor was a flight risk and might not appear for trial if granted bail.
Brief Facts of the Case
The complainant, Richard Dadzie, is a security officer residing at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, while the accused, Pastor Stephen Opoku, resides in Achimota.
In October 2022, Pastor Opoku, who leads a church in Korle Gonno, had a conversation with Dadzie in which he claimed to have access to “protocol” recruitment slots for various sectors, including the Health Service, Security Services, and other government institutions.
He explained the benefits of securing jobs in these sectors and assured Dadzie that he could recruit individuals at a cost of GH¢15,000 per applicant.
Trusting Opoku’s position as a pastor, Dadzie provided him with nine interested applicants seeking recruitment into the Ghana Immigration Service, Ghana Police Service, Ghana Customs, Excise & Preventive Service, and the Ghana Fire Service. Dadzie handed over a total of GH¢135,000 to Opoku for the recruitment process.
However, after receiving the funds, Pastor Opoku went into hiding and failed to fulfill his promises. A report was subsequently made to the police, leading to his arrest.
After investigations, Opoku was charged and brought before the court.
The case has been adjourned as further proceedings continue.
