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The trial of Prophet Cletus Ilongwo, founder and general overseer of Power of the Holy Ghost Evangelical Ministry, a.k.a Tuesday Tuesday Church, could not go as scheduled yesterday due to failure of the prosecution to provide the defence with basic document for proceedings.
The ‘Tuesday Tuesday’ pastor is standing trial for allegedly swindling a member of his church of N49.6 million during his initial arraignment but the latest is that he was re-arraigned on an amended charge that he stole the sum of N128 million from a seasoned banker using his Zenith Bank account 1003495899.
This is according to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) prosecutor, Mr. Ahmed Yerima.
At the commencement of the trial, a former Fidelity Bank worker, Mr. Obinna Ezenwaka, told the court that the suspect’s action threw him out of job. He narrated: “As at 2016, I was with Fidelity Bank as Head of Marketing, Corporate Banking. I was with Fidelity Bank for five years before I was disengaged in 2017 after previous stints with Oceanic, Ecobank, and Diamond Bank. Sometimes in 2015, I was introduced to the church in Abule Ado.”
At this juncture, defence counsel, Mrs. Titilola Akinlawon (SAN), interjected that she had not been availed the witness statement in order to cross-examined the suspect.
This halted proceedings as the judge, Justice Sherifat Solebo, aligned with her submission and adjourned till January 15, 2019.
Meanwhile, the defendant was granted bail in the sum of N20 million in a ruling delivered earlier.
Prophet Ilongwo was awarded the temporary reprieve with the bail conditions that he provides three sureties with landed property in Lagos State. He is to also deposit his international passport with the Registrar of the court.
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The ‘Tuesday Tuesday’ pastor is standing trial for allegedly swindling a member of his church of N49.6 million during his initial arraignment but the latest is that he was re-arraigned on an amended charge that he stole the sum of N128 million from a seasoned banker using his Zenith Bank account 1003495899.
This is according to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) prosecutor, Mr. Ahmed Yerima.
At the commencement of the trial, a former Fidelity Bank worker, Mr. Obinna Ezenwaka, told the court that the suspect’s action threw him out of job. He narrated: “As at 2016, I was with Fidelity Bank as Head of Marketing, Corporate Banking. I was with Fidelity Bank for five years before I was disengaged in 2017 after previous stints with Oceanic, Ecobank, and Diamond Bank. Sometimes in 2015, I was introduced to the church in Abule Ado.”
At this juncture, defence counsel, Mrs. Titilola Akinlawon (SAN), interjected that she had not been availed the witness statement in order to cross-examined the suspect.
This halted proceedings as the judge, Justice Sherifat Solebo, aligned with her submission and adjourned till January 15, 2019.
Meanwhile, the defendant was granted bail in the sum of N20 million in a ruling delivered earlier.
Prophet Ilongwo was awarded the temporary reprieve with the bail conditions that he provides three sureties with landed property in Lagos State. He is to also deposit his international passport with the Registrar of the court.
In this article: