A Pastor, Joshua Okpoti Sowah, was on Wednesday sentenced to 24 months imprisonment by an Accra Circuit Court on the charges of fraudulent transaction of land.
Pastor Joshua unlawfully entered a land at Oyarifa belonging to one Patrick Kuntor, and did make a grant of two plots of the land to one Bernice Nkansah at a cost of GH¢80,000.00.
He is to serve 24 months in prison in hard labour for fraudulent transaction, and to pay a fine of 25 penalty units for trespassing.
The court presided over by Mr M. E Essandoh also ordered Pastor Joshua to compensate the complainant with an amount of Gh¢30,000.00.
In sentencing the court said the prosecution was able to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the convict was never the owner of the land but went ahead to sell it to Bernice.
Prosecuting, Police Chief Inspector Francis Tassan told the court that the complainant, Patrick Kuntor is a consultant, while the convict Joshua, is a Pastor.
He said in 2009, the complainant purchased a parcel of land located at Oyarifa and registered it at the Lands Commission in that same year, and was issued with a Land certificate in 2010.
The prosecution said the complainant travelled and returned in May 2016 and detected that someone has trespassed on the land and developing same. A report was made and parties were invited over to the police station.
Police Chief Inspector Tassan said Beatrice mentioned the convict as the one who sold the land to her, so Pastor Joshua was invited severally but he refused to go, using a medical condition as an excuse.
He told the court that during investigation, it was revealed that, Pastor Joshua has no documents covering the land and was not the rightful owner of the land to go ahead and disposed of it.
According to the prosecution, a search conducted by the police at the lands commission on May 19, 2016 confirmed the complainant as the rightful owner of the land.
Source: GNA
