Reverend Nyeenyami Etsey Woevenu of the Apostles Revelation Society (ARS) and Dickson Owusu Abrokwah, a member, were on Monday convicted and sentenced to 14 days imprisonment by the Accra High Court for contempt of court.
Twelve other pastors and members of the church were also sentenced to a fine of GH¢1,000 each to be paid within three days or go to jail for 30 days for the same offence.
All the convicts were also to sign a bond to be of good behaviour for 12 months or go to jail for six months if they breached the bond.
Their conviction and sentence followed an application for contempt filed against them by Reverend Apostle Matthew Akunor and Reverend Apostle Tehn-Addy, both of the same church, because of a power struggle with the convicts for some time now.
The power struggle relates to a successor for the late leader of the church, James Kwaku Amega.
The applicants cited 27 people to be punished for disobeying the court’s order not to act in any capacity to find a successor for the late primate of the church pending the determination of the substantive in which the convicts were defendants.
After the death of Amega, the contemnors purported to have appointed Rev. Woevenu as High Priest at a meeting and they were sent to court by the apostles of the ARS over the issue, since they were aware of the pendency of the writ in the court.
But the court, in its ruling, acquitted 13 of them, namely, Joshua Kpodo, Rev. E.M.C. Dogbey, Rev. B. Borklo-Hadja, Rev. Moses Siame, Rev. Joseph Ahiaxornu, Rev. Kingsley Adranyi and Rev. Godwin Klutse.
The rest were Rev. Veliane Wovenu, Rev. Moses Dzakpata, Kofi Adzei, Israel Mawueta Nanevi and Makafui Buzor Tagbor.
The other convicts are Samuel Aheto, Benjamin Adika, T.M.K. Wormenor, Raphael Kobla Donkor, Hope Goka, Nicholas Agbalenyo, Isaac Dedzoe, Solomon Wemegah, Doe Wemegah, and Efata Kofigah.
The court held that once the contemnors were aware of the suit, they should have restrained themselves from organising the meeting at which the purported ordination was done.
It said that the defence put up by the contemnors was a sham but it decided to deal leniently with them because they all belong to the same church and there was the need for them to live in harmony.