A concerned member of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana (EPCG), has called on Right Rev. Dr Lt Col Bliss Divine Agbeko, Moderator of the General Assembly, and Rev. Daniel Torvinyo, Director of Finance of the Church, to step aside from their church and corporate positions.
According to the member, the move would allow for a full and independent forensic audit of Prime Natural Mineral Drinking Water Limited (PNMDWL).
Mr Justice Nyatefe made the call in an open address to the General Assembly Executive Council (GAEC) and members of the Church. The statement, sighted by the Ghana News Agency in Ho, was titled “A Call for Institutional Integrity and the Stepping Aside of Corporate Directors and an Urgent Independent Forensic Audit of PNMDWL.”
The call follows allegations by Rev. Dr Francis Amaglo, a minister of the Church, that the Moderator, Rev. Torvinyo and Lawyer Dick Anyadi, a non-clergy trustee of the Church, registered PNMDWL in their private names despite the company being funded through contributions from church members.
The officials have also been accused of drawing double salaries and failing to maintain proper accounting records for the company.
Mr Nyatefe stated that if members of the GAEC failed to ensure that the two directors stepped aside, the Council could be perceived by church members as being complicit in the alleged mismanagement.
“The integrity of the GAEC will only be redeemed by ensuring that the Moderator and the Director of Finance step aside immediately to avoid an unforeseen and negative reaction from disappointed members of the Church across the country,” he said.
He argued that members of the GAEC had a choice between protecting “two individuals who owe our Church six years of full financial accountability” and respecting the interests of faithful members of the EPCG, whom he described as the true owners of the Church.
Mr Nyatefe further contended that attempts by Rev. Dr Lawson Dzanku, Clerk of the General Assembly, to defend the ownership structure, transparency, financial accountability and corporate governance of PNMDWL had come under intense scrutiny from concerned members of the Church.
He questioned how the Moderator, who he claimed was legally registered as a director, majority shareholder, beneficial owner and trustee of PNMDWL, could chair a GAEC meeting intended to demand accountability from the company’s directors.
He also questioned why the Director of Finance, whose role includes scrutinising the accounts of church-owned companies, prepared the company’s accounts and presented its audited financial statements to the GAEC.
According to him, these circumstances confirmed concerns about a conflict of interest involving the two officials.
Mr Nyatefe expressed disappointment that no member of the GAEC objected to what he described as a breakdown in church governance and accountability.
He maintained that Rev. Dr Dzanku’s defence of the company exposed deeper governance challenges within the Church’s central administration and described the Clerk’s statement as misleading and disingenuous.
He said the statement further strengthened calls by some church members for the two officials to step aside pending the completion of a forensic audit.
Mr Nyatefe appealed to all church associations, including the Pastors Association, Catechists and Evangelists Union, Presbyters Union, Men’s Fellowship, Women and Youth Ministries, and other organised groups, to unite in demanding what he described as a lawful and transparent resolution of the PNMDWL matter.
He further urged congregations to suspend the transfer of Covenant Sunday funds, which he said were used to establish the company, until the Moderator and the Director of Finance stepped aside and an independent forensic audit was conducted and presented to the GAEC.
Responding to the allegations, Rev. Dr Lawson Dzanku rejected claims that PNMDWL was established without the knowledge or involvement of the Church.
“The assertion is entirely inconsistent with the documented history of the project, and the EPCG rejects any attempt to elevate speculative conclusions into established facts,” he said.
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah /Audrey Dekalu
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