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24.09.2009 General News

TB JOSHUA`s UNDER POLICE President Mills looks away as the law takes its course Toyota van, Generator impounded

By George Kyei Frimpong - Ghanaian Chronicle
From left: President Atta Mills, Prophet TB Joshua, Mrs Betty Mould-Iddrisu, Police officers executing the court order. INSET: Some of the impounded properties of the Synagogue ChurchFrom left: President Atta Mills, Prophet TB Joshua, Mrs Betty Mould-Iddrisu, Police officers executing the court order. INSET: Some of the impounded properties of the Synagogue Church
24.09.2009 LISTEN

A team of senior police officers, auctioneers, and court officials have invaded the Synagogue Church of All Nations owned by T. B Joshua, and impounded the church's vehicle and a generator, following their refusal to evacuate from the church premises, and in default of cost awarded against them.

The team, led by the Chief Auctioneer, Mr. George Addo of Geld Mart Ltd., on Tuesday September 22, this year, executed an order of an Accra Fast Track Court, presided over by Justice K. A. Ofori Atta, after the plaintiff, Nana Akosua Agyemang, had obtained a writ of possession for the land where the church is situated, at the Tema Motorway Industrial Area, in Accra.

Although President Atta Mills is an active member of the church, he has stood aside for the law to take its course, whereas in the case of the criminal prosecution of the two lawyers (Lawyers Ekow Amua Sekyi and Kwame Owusu Asamani), who have been accused of forging judicial documents and defrauding a mining company of over US$850,000), the Attorney General and Minster of Justice, Mrs. Betty Mould-Iddrisu, has kept the docket on her shelf, refusing the duo to be dragged to court.

The church instruments and plastic chairs were all attached to the impounded vehicle and generator, but after consistent pleas by the church members on humanitarian grounds, the auctioneer softened his stance against them, and took away only the vehicle and generator, and warned them to move from the premises before Sunday.

During the management of Rev. Ben Esuon, a member of the church, Nana Agyemang came to the rescue of the church when they were being thrown out of their Agbogbloshie premises, and offered her plots free of charge to them to use temporarily, as they looked for a new place.

On March 23, 2005, when Nana Agyemang was about to leave for the United States, she entered into an agreement with the church to occupy the property for a period of one year, which took place from January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2005.

Under the agreement, the period was not supposed to be extended by the owner, and that when the deal expired the structures on the land would be demolished at the expense of the church.

The agreement was also clear that the church was not allowed to put up permanent structures, but before the expiration of the deal, the church had disregarded that part of the agreement.

When the agreement expired, the church failed to move, on the grounds that information from the Lands Commission had revealed that the land belonged to the Government of Ghana.

This is where they expected to have President Mills use his muscle as the President of the Republic to bend the processes, and truncate the process on behalf of the church

But to their amazement, President Mills appreciated the law of the land, and gave full recognition of the limits of the authority, and allowed the court process to go to a conclusion.

But when the time was up, the church refused to move as agreed, prompting the owners to go to court.

On January 26, this year, the Fast Track Court ruled that the church should be ejected from the plaintiff's property, and damages of GH¢800 per month, from July 1, 2006 until a time that the church vacates from the property, and a cost of GH¢4,000 was as well awarded against them.

On August 18, this year, the plaintiff filed a 'Request for Writ of Possesion and FiFa combined,' for possession of the land, and for the sum of GH¢28,800 debt and costs of GH¢4,700.

Subsequently the request was granted by Justice N. M. C. Abodakpi of an Accra High Court.

The Minister of Justice, Mrs. Betty Mould 'Plonker' was nowhere in sight, as the bailiffs moved in throughout the exercise, which took over four hours yesterday.

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