Pastor Hammond Love, widely known as Pastor Love, has been sentenced to 48 months in prison by an Accra Circuit Court for automobile theft.
The case against Pastor Love dates back to 2017, when he was charged with selling a vehicle without the owner’s permission.
The prosecution presented evidence from the complainant, Samuel Amankwah, who imported a Toyota Highlander into the country in 2016 and entrusted Pastor Love with the task of clearing it.
After the vehicle was cleared, Amankwah instructed Pastor Love to sell it for $50,000 and to deduct the clearance fees from that amount.
However, Amankwah later decided to cancel this arrangement as he intended to travel to Ghana in April 2017, at which point he would settle the clearance costs with Pastor Love.
Upon his return to Ghana, Pastor Love was unable to present the car despite numerous requests from the complainant.
When arrested for his failure to produce the vehicle, Pastor Love claimed he had taken out a loan of GHC 40,000 with a 20% interest rate to cover the car’s clearance.
He argued that the accumulating interest led him to sell the car without Amankwah’s permission for GHC 80,000, using GHC 70,000 to repay the loan company.
However, Pastor Love was unable to direct the police to the loan company or identify the individual who purchased the vehicle.
During the court proceedings today presided over by His Honour Isaac Addo, Pastor Love appealed for leniency, citing his status as a first-time offender and his willingness to pay a fine. His request was, however, denied.
The judge remarked that, as a pastor, Pastor Love should exemplify integrity and uphold trustworthiness.
He acknowledged the complainant’s rightful ownership of the car and emphasised that Pastor Love’s sale of the vehicle without consent warranted a strong deterrent sentence.