The Presbyterian Church of Ghana has hit back at claims made by its former Public Relations Officer that the outgoing moderator of the church Professor Emmanuel Martey, accepted a bribe of $100,000 dollars from some politicians.
The Church, in a statement, described the allegations made by Emmanuel Osei Akyeampong as ‘malicious lies.’
The outspoken Moderator revealed last Tuesday that he rejected several attempts by politicians to buy his conscience with money and keep him from criticizing the government.
He claimed that he had been offered gifts by politicians including 100,000 dollars and a Trasacco House, all of which he rejected. “Politicians had tried all means to muzzle me, to get me but they can’t, they come with bribes, fat envelopes, $100,000.”
He added that, some of these politicians also come with “the promises that if you keep quiet we will give you a house at Trasacco with swimming pool… We will give you Four Wheel drive [vehicle] but you know what; these people were lucky that I do not have big dogs in my house else I would have released the dogs for them to bite them,” Professor Martey added.
However, Emmanuel Osei Akyeampong alleged that, contrary to the moderator’s assertions, he had accepted the bribe and even gave him some of it. “In July 28, 2013, around 8:15pm, he invited me to the office of one of the leading opposition parties not the ruling government, when I got there he had received the 100,000 dollars and a V8 he is claiming to have rejected.
And he gave me 50,000 dollars, I am speaking on authority that he received the money,” he is quoted as having said my some media outlets.
The Presbyterian church dismissed these claims suggesting that Osei Akyeampong’s story was fabricated. “Mr. Akyeampong has resorted to character assassination of some top officials of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana especially the Moderator, Rev. Professor Emmanuel Martey,” the statement started.
“It therefore does not make sense that on July 28th, more than one month after his dismissal Professor Emmanuel Martey would invite Mr. Akyeampong to the office of a political party to receive a bribe.” The Church insisted that, although it was apolitical, it still had a say in how the country was governed.
They backed the statements made by Professor Martey saying he had every right to comments on any issue which he believed was in the interest of the nation. “The PR Unit wants to reiterate that the Presbyterian Church of Ghana and its leadership do not support any political party.
The Church and its leadership are non-partisan in nature. In fact there are members of the church in almost all political parties. There are members who are Ministers and high government officials in every regime in this country. For this reason, the church does not take sides,” he said.
“We, however, believe that the church should be interested in how the nation is governed and the clergy like the biblical prophets of old must be the moral conscience of society.
The moderator will continue to speak on the affairs of this country and no amount of intimidation, malicious lies and verbal attacks will deter him from speaking the truth.”
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