Court remands student for deceit of public officer
An Accra Circuit Court on Monday remanded into prison custody a 25-year-old student and nursing mother, Mariam Asamoah, who is facing a charge of deceit of public officer.
Mariam is being held for falsely accusing the Reverend Isaac Owusu-Bempah, General Overseer of Glorious Word Power Ministries at Odorkor-Busia in Accra, of impregnating her and refusing to look after the baby.
The court did not take her plea and she is expected to reappear on August 16.
The court presided over by Mrs Doris Bempong has asked her to commit her baby into her grandmother’s care she is remanded into prison custody.
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Sarah Acquah said the accused person who is a member of the church stays with her mother at Mataheko in Accra.
ASP Acquah said on April 21, this year Mariam reported to the Domestic Violence and Victim’s Support Unit (DOVVSU) that she had a nine-month-old baby with Rev. Owusu-Bempah but he had refused to look after the baby.
The prosecutor said Mariam further told the Police that when she become pregnant, Rev Owusu-Bempah told her to name one Pastor Felix Garr, who was then a junior pastor of the church, as the one responsible and she obliged.
According to the prosecutor Pastor Garr accepted responsibility of the pregnancy because she (Mariam) was his girlfriend.
The prosecution said Mariam further stated that when she went to the General Overseer to tell him that he was father her child, he threatened her saying she and her baby would die.
ASP Acquah said Rev. Owusu-Bempah was arrested by the Police and granted bail.
On May 9 this year, Mariam, however, told Adom FM, a Tema-based radio station, that all the reports she made against Rev Owusu-Bempah were false.
The prosecution said after making those pronouncements, Mariam went into hiding.
On June 22, this year a bench warrant was issued for her arrest and some publications were made in the media.
On seeing the publication, Mariam’s mother brought her from Anyinam to DOVVSU in Accra.
Source: GNA