Also arrested were Theophilus Zealous, 24, a member of the Church and 23 years old barber, George Atsu Ahiagba.
The amount was offering entrusted into the care of Pastor Dzah as the Church’s accountant.
Mr. Daniel Dzamtse, Aflao Police Crime Officer, told the GNA that on August 13, the suspect failed to render account of monies he was to have lodged into the bank after a queried by Head Pastor, Samuel Turkson.
The Police Crime Officer said Pastor Dzah admitted giving part of the amount to Zealous to transfer through the MTN mobile money to one Paul, formerly of the Aflao Church who had contacted him [Dzah] for financial assistance.
Mr. Dzamtse said Pastor Dzah failed to assist the Police to get into contact with the said Paul.
He said Pastor Dzah told the Police, upon his arrest together with Zealous, that he sent Gh¢ 17,000 to the said Paul after “God instructed me to assist Paul with the church’s money”.
Mr. Dzamtse said investigations at the MTN Beat Nine Junction and GT Bank branches at Aflao revealed that the amount was cashed by one George Atsu Ahiagba with his voter ID card number 1678009737.
He said Ahiagba was arrested at the MTN office on August 16 when he called there to cash an extra Gh¢ 500.
Mr. Dzamtse said Ahiagba told the Police he cashed the monies for a young man who came for a hair cut in his barbering shop at Aflao and introduced himself as Pastor Joseph of the Lord’s Church in Accra.
He said the suspect stated that Pastor Joseph, who claimed he was on his way to a crusade in Lome, gave him a secret code with which he cashed Gh¢ 2,000 at the MTN office for him. Ahiagba said Pastor Joseph paid him Gh¢ 20 for cashing the money.
Ahiagba explained he had on several other occasions withdrawn a total of Gh¢ 7,000 from a GT Bank branch for the said Pastor Joseph who visited his shop a number of times between July and August.
The three have been remanded in Police custody by an Aflao Circuit to reappear in court on August 26.
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