The Lighthouse Chapel International (LCI) has taken back a car that was gifted to a former bishop of the church, Kwame Yirenkyi Ampofo, during his time of service. Mr. Ampofo, an engineer, is currently under investigation by the Auto Theft Unit of the Police Criminal Investigations Department (CID) for allegedly stealing the car in question.
According to Mr. Ampofo, the Chevrolet Tahoe was given to him in 2016 after it had been used by the wife of the church’s founder, Mrs. Adelaide Heward-Mills, from 2013 to 2016. He claimed that the Healing Jesus denomination within the church presented it to him as a gift in 2022 after he was dismissed due to a misunderstanding between him and the church’s leadership.
The church stated that although they had informed Mr. Ampofo about the gift, they reserved the right to change their decision. The decision to revoke the car gift was prompted by Mr. Ampofo’s public attacks and insults against the church. In a letter dated July 4, 2023, the church explained that they never legally transferred the ownership of the car to him and that they would not be completing the transfer.
Following his dismissal in December 2022, Mr. Ampofo renounced the bishop title bestowed upon him by the church and has been using social media to address what he claims are false accusations made by some top bishops of the Lighthouse Chapel. As part of his protest against what he considers unbiblical practices of the church, he has burned books written by the church’s founder, Bishop Dag Heward-Mills, on live social media streams.
The church’s lawyer, Kweku Y. Pantsil, initially wrote to Mr. Ampofo in January 2023 to revoke the car gift, as Mr. Ampofo had referred to the vehicle as a compensation package rather than a gift. The lawyer argued that by accepting the car as compensation, Mr. Ampofo had repudiated the offer of a gift. The church subsequently reported the case to the police to determine the rightful ownership of the car after Mr. Ampofo refused to return it.
Mr. Ampofo maintains that he has no intention of returning the car, as he considers it a gift along with a cash amount of GH¢300,000.00 given to him after his dismissal.
It is worth noting that this is not the first time the church has reported a former employee for theft. Bishop Emmanuel Oko Mensah, another former Lighthouse employee, was previously reported to the police for allegedly keeping the church’s old Hyundai Elantra. However, the prosecution was discontinued due to a lack of evidence supporting the theft charge.
The church’s decision to reclaim the gifted car from Mr. Ampofo has added to the ongoing disputes between former pastors and the Lighthouse Chapel, as some former pastors have sued the church for trauma and economic exploitation.
Source – myjoyonline.com
