The Pastor of 7th Day Pentecostal Assemblies located in Adeabeba, Kumasi, Mr. Macaiah Addai, appeared before the Manhyia palace on Tuesday, facing allegations of snatching a church member's wife.
Accompanied by his church members, Pastor Macaiah Addai was found guilty of the charges by a five-member panel at the Asantehemaa's palace.
Having already had three wives, Pastor Macaiah Addai was ordered to slaughter four sheep as an act of appeasement to the land's gods and to atone for his sins.
However, a prominent chief in Kumasi interceded on behalf of Pastor Macaiah, pleading for a reduction in the punishment. The pleadings were accepted, and instead of slaughtering four sheep, the pastor was asked to bring two sheep, which were converted into cash amounting to GH¢6000. Pastor Macaiah promptly made the payment.
But that was not the end of it.
The "wife snatcher" was also ordered to pay a staggering amount of GH¢20,000 to his church member, Mr. Kofi Adjei, whose wife he had allegedly snatched and engaged in a relationship with.
Narrating his ordeal to the five-member panel at the Manhyia palace, Mr. Adjei explained that he had been married to his wife, Madam Gloria Amponsa, for 21 years. They had lived together harmoniously, raising children, until his wife's behavior suddenly changed, and she began demanding a divorce.
Distraught, Mr. Adjei sought help from Pastor Macaiah Addai and the church elders, hoping for a resolution. However, to his shock, Pastor Macaiah informed him that his wife had already approached him, claiming to have presented bottles of schnapps to Adjei's family members to end the marriage. Consequently, the pastor stated that he couldn't assist in reconciling them.
"Two days later, I discovered that my wife was living with Pastor Macaiah Addai as a married couple. For over a year and a half, all my attempts to convince my wife to return home have failed," Mr. Adjei tearfully recounted.
In his defense before the Manhyia palace on Tuesday, Pastor Macaiah claimed that he had taken Gloria Amponsa as his wife because she had informed him that she had divorced Mr. Kofi Adjei.
The pastor's case took a turn for the worse when he admitted that he hadn't performed any customary rites for Gloria Amponsa's family, as he believed in following Jewish marriage ordinances and customs, which do not require such rites for a divorced woman in her subsequent marriage.
Visibly shaken, Pastor Macaiah Addai struggled to answer more probing questions from the five-member panel, consisting of chiefs, eventually admitting his offense and subsequently being customarily fined.
The case has been adjourned until Tuesday, June 20, 2023, for final resolution and conclusion of the matter.
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