The Accra High Court has sentenced three pastors to five days in prison each for contempt of court. Apostle Samuel Anang Sowah, Bishop Abraham Adjetey Adjei, and Bishop Daniel Buernor Tokoli, formerly affiliated with the Holy Apostolic Reformed Church (HARC), were imprisoned for violating court orders that prohibited them from interfering with church activities.
In addition to the prison sentences, Justice William Boampong also imposed a GH¢1,000 fine on each pastor, payable to the church, which was the applicant in the contempt case.
Previously, on October 27, 2023, the court had convicted the pastors for contempt after they conducted services at the church’s branches in Tema, Teshie, and Nungua despite a pending injunction that barred them from doing so. Although the court had cautioned and discharged them at that time, they continued to defy the orders by holding services at these branches on October 29, 2023, just two days after their conviction.
Justice Boampong emphasized that the pastors’ actions not only flouted the court’s orders but also undermined the administration of justice. “The court earlier cautioned and discharged the respondents in an earlier contempt case, but they went ahead and repeated what the court restrained them from doing. The Respondents should therefore be made to respect the law at this time. I sentence each of the three respondents to five days imprisonment,” the judge stated.
The case was brought by the Trustees of HARC, who accused the pastors of breaching the church’s constitution by acting independently and rejecting the church’s leadership. The plaintiffs sought a court declaration that the three branches taken over by the pastors were under the control of the HARC headquarters. They also requested an injunction to prevent the pastors from engaging with the church as long as they refused to comply with the headquarters’ directives.
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