The Founder of the International God’s Way Church (IGWC), Bishop Daniel Obinim, on Thursday reported to the Police Headquarters as part of the bail conditions set by the Kaneshie Magistrate Court in Accra.
He spent a couple of hours with the police CID before leaving the premises of the headquarters after midday.
Arrest & Detention
Obinim was granted bail by the Kaneshie Magistrate Court in Accra last week in the sum of GH¢100,000 with three sureties, one to be justified, but he was not able to extricate the bail bond on time and had to remain in cells until last week Friday when he finally walked home.
He was in police custody for about three nights after he was arrested and charged with publication of false news, as well as forgery of a document contrary to Sections 208 and 159 of the Criminal and other Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).
According to the Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, who has launched a crusade to expose fake pastors, Obinim has been cooling off in Akosombo since he left police cells.
Main Complainant
Although the police have not released the identity of the complainant, DAILY GUIDE understands that it was through the effort of the firebrand MP that led to Obinim’s arrest.
Kennedy has confirmed that he personally reported the pastor to the Inspector General of Police for offences including fraud, money laundering and misuse of the police logo to harass some of the boys he has been having criminal deals with.
As if that is not enough, the MP has been having running battles with the maverick pastor and has reported him to the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) for the anti-graft body to investigate him over alleged money-laundering and other related crimes.
Already, the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) is chasing him to pay about GH¢1.6 million in taxes to the state.
Court Order
On May 13, 2020, an Accra High Court presided over by Justice Doreen G. Boakye-Agyei dismissed Obinim’s application that was challenging the GRA’s decision to ask him to settle a tax liability of GH¢1,591,797.50.
According to the court, the GRA followed due process in determining and notifying Obinim about his tax liabilities and that Obinim had not followed laid-down procedures to make his objections to be given a hearing as required by law.
“He cannot use his failure as a ground to seek judicial review. This instant case is not a proper and appropriate case for the court to exercise its powers of judicial review,” Justice Boakye-Agyei stated.
Sources close to Obinim are saying that he intends to instruct his lawyers to challenge the decision because as far as he is concerned, he paid his taxes to the state.
Previous Cases
Obinim is no stranger to criminal prosecution, as he has had brushes with the law on at least two occasions.
In the first case, he vandalized a private radio station – Hot FM – but was acquitted and discharged in October 2015 after the complainants had allegedly lost interest in the case.
In September 2018, Obinim and two of his pastors were sentenced to a total fine of GH¢12,000 by an Accra Circuit Court after they had been accused of assaulting two teenagers on the premises of IGWC.