The Attorney General has advised against the prosecution of Bishop Emmanuel Oko Mensah, one of the six former Light House Chapel International pastors.
The administrator of the Light House Chapel International, Rebecca Addae on June 13, 2021, filed a criminal complaint against Mr. Mensah for allegedly stealing the church’s official car, a Hyundai Elantra with registration, GN8591-12.
This was after the accused sued the church in April 2021, alleging emotional, psychological abuse and economic exploitation.
Madam Rebecca Addae alleged that the suspect after resigning from LCI refused to hand over the vehicle allotted to him to the church and that all efforts to retrieve same proved futile.
The suspect in his statement to the police admitted having in his possession the said vehicle and added that during his employment with LCI, he maintained the car with his own money. He insisted that he was not guilty and that he expected to retain the car after his resignation because “that has been the practice.”
Akosua Agyapomaa Agyemang, Assistant State Attorney in a statement issued on behalf of the Attorney General and sighted by citinewsroom.com said after carefully reading the docket, she realised that the suspect was indeed given the vehicle for official purposes, but there is nothing in the docket to show that the suspect refused to surrender the vehicle to LCI.
She opined that the charges of stealing cannot also be sustained against the Bishop.
She thus recommended the discontinuation of the case against the accused person.
She however advised Bishop Oko Mensah to return the car to the church.
“The facts of the docket show that, the vehicle has always been in the name of LCI. The suspect did not change the ownership from LCI into his own name. There is nothing in the docket to show that the suspect refused to surrender the vehicle to LCI when they demanded its return. There is also nothing to show that they requested the suspect to return the vehicle. Even though the suspect appropriated the vehicle, the appropriation was not dishonest. It is therefore our opinion that the charges of stealing cannot be sustained against the suspect.”
“From the foregoing, we dis-recommend the prosecution of Emmanuel Oko Mensah. Kindly return the vehicle to LCI,” the Assistant State Attorney advised.
