Accra High Court has handed down five-day prison sentences to three pastors—Apostle Samuel Anang Sowah, Bishop Abraham Adjetey Adjei, and Bishop Daniel Buernor Tokoli— for contempt of court.
These pastors, previously affiliated with the Holy Apostolic Reformed Church (HARC), were found guilty of disregarding court orders that barred them from interfering with the church’s operations.
In addition to the imprisonment, Justice William Boampong, who presided over the case, imposed a fine of GH¢1,000 on each pastor, to be paid to the church, which had filed the contempt motion.
The contempt charges originated on October 27, 2023, when the court convicted the pastors for conducting services at the church’s branches in Tema, Teshie, and Nungua, despite an ongoing interlocutory injunction preventing them from doing so.
At that time, the court issued a caution and discharged them.
However, the court learned that just two days later, on October 29, 2023, the pastors once again defied the court’s orders by holding services at the same branches.
In his ruling, Justice Boampong emphasized that the pastors had not only breached the court’s instructions but had also undermined the authority and administration of justice by their continued defiance.
“The court earlier cautioned and discharged the respondents in an earlier contempt case, but they went ahead and repeated what the court restrained them to do.
The Respondents should therefore be made to respect the law at this time. I sentence each of the three respondents to five days imprisonment,” Justice Boampong ordered.
The Trustees of the Holy Apostolic Reformed Church (HARC) filed a lawsuit against the three pastors, accusing them of violating the church’s constitution by acting independently and refusing to acknowledge the church’s leadership.
The plaintiffs sought several remedies from the court, including a declaration that the three branches taken over by the pastors remained under the authority of the HARC headquarters.
Additionally, the church requested a court order to bar the pastors from any involvement with the church as long as they continued to disregard the directives of the church’s central leadership.