Pastor Ransford Obeng
A SUNYANI High Court presided over Justice Bosco Naberese has set Thursday, May 15, to rule on a motion filed by the head pastor of the Calvary Charismatic Centre (CCC), Pastor Ransford Obeng, not to be joined to an action against the church.
The spiritual head of the CCC and his board of trustees, the highest decision-making body of the church, have been jointly and severally sued by a former administrator of the Sunyani branch of the church, Edward Sencherey, who was said to have been wrongfully and verbally dismissed by Pastor Obeng.
The lawyer for Rev Obeng on Tuesday averred in court that CCC is a corporate body registered under the laws of Ghana, and that the pastor (the 2 nd defendant) had been unnecessarily and improperly made a party to the suit.
She further argued that the founder of the church is separate and distinct from the CCC and therefore could not be joined to an action against the church.
According to the lawyer, no personal liability had been alleged against the head pastor nor had there been any pleadings narrating the lifting of the corporate veil, saying, ‘…There is no suggestion in the pleadings to the effect that the 2 nd defendant has given any personal guarantee for the 1 st defendant’s act.’
The counsel further maintained that the plaintiff had not been dismissed contrary to his claims in his pleadings.
However, counsel for plaintiff/respondent, lawyer Williams Orleans Oduro, rebutted the claims of his opponent and prayed the court to dismiss the application to enable the merit of the case to be held once and for all.
He argued that Pastor Ransford Obeng was a necessary party to the suit having verbally dismissed the plaintiff contrary to the church’s own constitution.
Mr Sencherey was appointed by the CCC as an administrator of the Sunyani branch on July 30, 2004, and had worked under various pastors until January 12, 2014, when the defendants came to Sunyani and the 2nd defendant verbally dismissing him.
He was marched out of the office and prevented from taking his personal belongings including money and documents at the office.
His offence, he indicated, was that he failed to cover the alleged sexual and financial scandals of the regional pastor, Roger Ohene Frimpong.
Mr Sencherey is, therefore, seeking among others, general damages against the church for his wrongful dismissal and a declaration that the verbal dismissal is ‘unjust, illegal and unmerited having regard to all circumstances surrounding the church in recent days.’
He is also praying the court to award general damages against the CCC for the unlawful seizure of his personal bag containing his valuable documents and money.
FROM Fred Tettey Alarti-Amoako, Sunyani
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