Members of the Apostolic Church of Ghana end their trial

General News on Thursday, April 25, 2019

Source: Graphic.com.gh

2019-04-25

Three members of the Apostolic Church – Ghana, who sued the church's general secretary, the apostle Alex Kwaku Ofosu, for apparently changing his age so that he continues to d & # 39; Hold office, decided to put an end to the complaint.

The plaintiffs – Emmanuel Tetteh Nyumgor, William Okyere and Ernest Teye – subsequently filed a notice of discontinuance in the High Court of Accra in which they declared their intention not to pursue the case.

The notice filed in court on Tuesday, April 23, 2019 read as follows: "The plaintiffs in this action abandon their actions against the defendants in connection with the above-mentioned action in full liberty, allowing them to present a new case. request".

In the interest of peace

In addition to the notice filed in court, the plaintiffs' attorney, Mr. Eddie MacCarthy, also wrote a letter to the President of the Apostolic Church in Ghana, Apostle Peter Okoe Mankralo, for inform him of the intention of his clients to terminate the work of the court. Case.

The letter dated Tuesday, April 23, 2019 indicated that the three elders of the church had decided not to pursue the case in the interests of peace.

"My honorable judges have decided to close the case in camera," said the lawyer.

Suit

Former Nyumgor, Okyere and Teye dragged the church secretary general to court after they claimed that their petition challenging his continued office had not been dealt with by him. church.

The Apostolic Church of Ghana and the National Council, which is the governing body of the church, were also included as other defendants.

The plaintiffs claimed that the Apostle Ofosu had reached the age of 65, the retirement age of church officers, January 28, 2018.

They said, however, that the Secretary-General had "voluntarily deformed his date of birth in the church, claiming that it was January 28, 1956, when his actual date of birth was January 28, 1953".

The plaintiffs further filed an application for an interlocutory injunction order preventing the Apostolic Church of Ghana from recognizing the apostle Ofosu as general secretary of the church until 39. at the final decision of the prosecution.

Although the apostle Ofosu has not yet filed a defense in the lawsuit, he denied the allegations against him in his response to the petition of the three members of the church before the National Council.

"I want to insist that I am not responsible or guilty of the offense of dishonesty or conduct that would cause the reputation of the secretary general of our famous church, ridicule or outrage," he said.

Colonization efforts

When the case was heard for the first time on March 5, 2019, Judge Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe, who presided at the Court, pleaded with both factions to settle the case at the court. amicably, because it was not good that the problem of the church Court of Justice.

She then appointed a senior lawyer, Solomon Adjetey, to mediate in order to badist in reaching an agreement between the two parties.

The case was sent back to March 18, 2019 to allow the parties to report to the court on the settlement agreement.

However, on that day, both parties asked the court to give them more time to reach an amicable settlement.

Judge Asare-Botwe agreed and gave them three weeks to reach an agreement. Once again, citing various pbadages from the Bible, she encouraged them to settle the case amicably.

After the three weeks, both parties went to court on April 9, 2019, but without a settlement agreement.

The mediator presented his report to the court and explained that no settlement had been reached.

Judge Asare-Botwe was not enthusiastic about the situation and asked both parties to attempt to settle the case again.

She gave them a week to do so and ordered them to return to court on April 16, 2019.

Intervention of the Council of State

On 16 April 2109, both parties informed the court that they were at a dead end and could reach an agreement.

However, they told the court that a member of the State Council, Nana Mireku Nyampong III, had offered to settle the dispute after taking note of the case file and the judge's efforts to resolve it at the same time. ; amicably. the April 11, 2019 issue of the Daily Graphic.

Nana Nyampong III, who was in the courtroom that day, asked for a period of one month to be able to engage both parties for an amicable settlement.

Judge Asare-Botwe granted the request and adjourned the proceedings to 14 May 2019.