Bishop Obinim faces fresh charges
The founder of the International God’s Way Church, Bishop Daniel Obinim, has been slapped with new charges in his ongoing forgery trial.
The televangelist, his accomplice Kwabena Otchere and four others are now facing four counts.
The group of six people are to answer to charges of conspiracy to publish false news, conspiracy to forge documents, the publication of false news and forgery of documents.
But the controversial pastor has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
The new charges were read to Bishop Obinim on Wednesday at the Kaneshie District Court, presided over by Rosemond Dodua Agyiri.
The police prosecution, led by ASP Slyvestor Asare, told the court that efforts are being made to track the whereabouts of the four, who are now at large.
At the last sitting, the police had asked for more time to investigate Bishop Obinim’s case. But Counsel for Obinim slammed the prosecution for employing ‘delay tactics’.
A not-too-happy counsel, Charles Dela Blagogee, made the critique while expressing his disappointment at the prosecution’s request for a longer adjourned date.
The lawyer said his hopes of scrutinising the prosecution’s evidence against his client had been dashed again because they have failed to present it.
“We can clearly see as practitioners of the law, what the prosecution is trying to do and where this matter is going. We are obliged to play along.
“But if on the next adjourned date, our colleagues from the other side fail to provide evidence that they are bringing to the case, then it won’t be fair to all parties.
“This is the third or fourth time, we are coming to the court on this matter but nothing to show for it,” Counsel for the accused stressed.
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The prosecution withdrew the old charges with the explanation that it had consolidated Obinim’s charge sheet with the charge sheet of that of the other accused persons.
Bishop Obinim was initially standing trial on charges of publication of false news and forgery.
He was arrested on May 22, this year by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and charged for the publication of false news and forgery of a document, contrary to sections 208 and 159 of the Criminal and other Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29) respectively.
Obinim’s banter with the court has been going on for a while now. In 2018, he, together with two of his pastors, stood trial at the Accra Circuit Court for allegedly assaulting his adopted children in the presence of his congregation.
In September, that same year, he was subsequently fined a total of GH¢12,000 for the assault of his children.
Again, in August 2016, Obinim was arrested by the Tema Regional Police for allegedly defrauding a man of GH¢11.6 million.
Prior to his court appearance, the popular man of God in May 2020, spent three days in police custody before he was granted a GH₵100,000 bail with three sureties.