Court orders forensic examination of Bishop Obinim’s signature

• Posted on August 30, 2018
• by Ellsamwise King
• Comment

An Accra Circuit Court has ordered Bishop Daniel Obinim, the Founder of God’s Way International Church, to give samples of his signature for forensic examination.

The Police are also to make available Obinim’s signature on the Police statement tendered in court in order to ascertain whether he signed it or not.

The order came after the court had commenced a mini trial following Bishop Obinim’s denial of the Police statement and signatures tendered in evidence during trial.

Meanwhile, Bishop Obinim had told the court that he only gave one statement to the Police in Tema in an assault case in which he and two other pastors of his church had been accused of assaulting his two adopted children; a 14-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy, who lived with him in the presence of his congregation.

He is said to have conducted that act with two of his pastors namely; Kingsley Baah and Solomon Abraham, hence the two have been charged with abetment.

They have pleaded not guilty to the charges and have been granted bail in the sum of GH¢10,000.00 with one surety each.

When sworn to testify in the mini-trial, Bishop Obinim told the court, presided over by Mrs Abena Opong Adjin-Doku, that he had never written a statement at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters.

He explained that when he was invited by the Police at Tema, he gave a statement to one Detective Emmanuella Agbanyor in the company of Rev. Adu Boahene, his church administrator, Abraham Solomon and Kingsley Baah, two of the accused person’s standing trial and Mr Ralph Poku Adusei, his lawyer.

According to Bishop Obinim, he appended his signature to the Police statement.

However, when Bishop Obinim’s Statement was tendered, he denied the content and the signature accompanying the statement.

When Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) George Amega, in a cross- examination, pointed out to Bishop Obinim that “no lawyer signs statements of accused persons and suspects,” he replied; “I have heard.”

The matter has been adjourned to September 12.

The Prosecution narrated that the complainant, Irene Abochie-Nyahe, was a legal practitioner residing at Community 17, Lashibi.

That on August 17, 2016, at about 1700 hours, the Accra Branch of the Church held a service, at which Bishop Obinim claimed he had a revelation from God that the two alleged victims were engaged in pre-marital sex and the 14-year old girl was pregnant.

The prosecution said Obinim said the children were in the process of aborting the pregnancy, therefore, the Holy Spirit had directed him (Obinim) to chastise the teenagers in the presence of the congregation.

According to the prosecution, in the full glare of the church, Obinim allegedly removed his belt and assaulted them.

The prosecution said, in the process, his two pastors, Baah and Abraham, prevented the female victim from running away from the said punishment.

The prosecution said the victim could not bear the pain hence she sought refuge with Bishop Obinim’s wife, Mrs Florence Obinim, but her husband asked her to stay away.

He said the assault only stopped after Obinim became content with the alleged punishment.

Source: GNA