Despite being granted bail in the sum of GHC2 million in his quest to overturn his four-year jail term, Pastor Love Hammond was returned to the Nsawam Medium Security Prison on Friday, November 15, 2024.
On Friday, the Accra High Court granted bail to Pastor Love following an application filed by his lawyer, Kwame Yeboah, pending the appeal of his initial sentence.
However, according to a report by Angel FM’s court correspondent, Ama Brago, Pastor Love failed to immediately meet the conditions of his bail set out by the court and was, therefore, returned to prison on Friday.
“As I speak to you, he has been returned to Nsawam, where Pastor Love Hammond was brought from. The GHC2 million was not the only condition of the bail; it also includes justification,” she stated.
According to the reporter, the bail conditions include GHC2 million with two sureties to be justified with a landed property within the court’s jurisdiction. He is also required to deposit his passport with the registry of the court and report to the police every Tuesday until the determination of his appeal.
“I spoke to his lawyer, who expressed confidence in eventually meeting the bail conditions. He emphasised that he had already spoken to Pastor Love about the need to exercise patience as the process to fulfill the bail conditions might take some time.
“This is because they are now going to find the two sureties with the required properties and their accompanying valid documents, after which a valuer will value the properties to ensure that they meet the amount. So his lawyer spoke to him in court to exercise patience and return to jail while they work to meet his bail requirement,” she stated.
Arrest and legal battle
In October 2024, Pastor Love was sentenced following a lengthy legal battle over the sale of a friend’s car, for which he failed to account for the proceeds.
The case, which dates back to 2017, resulted in Pastor Love being found guilty of theft, appropriation, and dishonesty.
Background
The case stems from a 2016 agreement between Pastor Love and the complainant, Samuel Amankwah.
Amankwah had imported a Toyota Highlander into Ghana and entrusted Pastor Love with the car, asking him to clear it through customs and promising to reimburse him for the cost.
Amankwah later instructed Pastor Love to sell the car for $50,000 and deduct the clearing fee from the sale proceeds.
However, in April 2017, Amankwah changed his mind, as he was planning to return to Ghana soon and intended to pay Pastor Love the clearing fees directly.
Upon his arrival, Amankwah discovered that Pastor Love had neither the car nor the proceeds from its sale despite constant requests.
Pastor Love, after his arrest, eventually admitted that he sold the car without Amankwah’s consent.
He explained that he had taken a loan of GHC40,000 to clear the car, but the loan was accruing interest, so he sold the car for GHC80,000 to repay the debt, giving GHC70,000 to the loan company.
However, Pastor Love could not provide any evidence to substantiate his claims. He was unable to lead police to the loan company or identify the person who purchased the car.
During the trial, Pastor Love pleaded for leniency, citing his status as a first-time offender and expressing a willingness to pay any fine.
However, the judge, Justice Isaac Addo, rejected his plea and proceeded with the sentencing.