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Accra’s Circuit Court has sentenced Pastor Hammond Love, commonly known as Pastor Love, to 48 months of hard labor for theft.
The pastor, who was formerly married to gospel singer Obaapa Christie, was convicted after a seven-year trial.
Before his sentencing, Pastor Love pleaded for leniency, offering to pay a fine instead of serving jail time.
However, Judge Isaac Addo, while noting that this was his first offense, emphasized that as a pastor, Love was held to a higher standard of integrity and trust.
Consequently, the judge ruled the 48-month prison term as a fair punishment and a deterrent to others.
The case, which began in 2016, involved a complaint from Samuel Amankwah, a US resident, who shipped a 4×4 vehicle to Ghana and tasked Pastor Love with clearing it.
Pastor Love did so using his own funds and was instructed to sell the vehicle for $50,000, deducting the clearing costs. However, in April 2017, when Amankwah returned to Ghana, Pastor Love was unable to produce the vehicle, prompting the complainant to report the issue to the police.
Pastor Love admitted to selling the vehicle for GHC 80,000 without Amankwah’s consent, claiming he needed to repay a GHC 40,000 loan with high interest.
However, he failed to provide any evidence of the loan or the buyer of the vehicle. This led to his conviction and eventual imprisonment.
