The family members of the two preteens who were killed in the gory accident at East Legon expressed mixed feelings after the court sentenced the son of Bishop Elisha Salifu Amoako, the Founder and General Overseer of Alive Chapel International Church, to six months in a correctional facility.
While they accepted the judgement of the court, they were not happy about the six-month sentence given to the 16-year-old boy, who was held responsible for the crash.
The grandmother of Justine Agbenu, one of the two deceased girls, indicated that the six-month sentence was not enough.
She said that the laws of the country must be amended to allow for stricter punishment for such cases.
“What can I say, what am I supposed to say, what am I to say? The court has given its judgement. But I pray that one day the laws will be changed.
“You can’t kill two people through reckless driving and get away with this. This is my issue,” she said in Twi.
The family members were also not happy about the GH¢6,000 fine given to Bishop Elisha Salifu Amoako and his wife, Mouha Amoako.
They chastised the pastor for his comments about not needing a driver’s licence to drive and for saying that his son did not shoot any person to death.
Background:
Bishop Elisha Salifu Amoako and Mouha Amoako were reportedly fined GH¢6,000 each for the tragic road crash at East Legon that claimed the lives of two preteens.
According to GHOne TV, the court hearing the matter, on Thursday, December 19, 2024, also ordered the pastor to pay over GH¢8,000 for the light pole destroyed at the accident scene.
Salifu Amoako’s 16-year-old son, who the court has held responsible for the crash, has been sentenced to six months at a senior correctional centre.
This is after he pleaded guilty to eight of the charges against him, including two counts of manslaughter for the tragic road crash at East Legon that claimed the lives of two preteens.
Salifu Amoako’s son, before his sentencing, was remanded by the Family and Juvenile Court and was held at the Osu Correctional Centre while he was being prosecuted for being responsible for the crash.
According to police prosecutors, he was showing off the speed of the Jaguar F-Pace Sport, which belongs to his parents, when it collided with the black Acura that the victims were driving in.
The report indicated that Salifu Amoako’s son drove the white Jaguar with a friend to A&C Mall, where they met additional friends waiting in two SUVs.
The three vehicles formed a convoy, with the accused leading in his mother’s car—the Jaguar—as they drove through the East Legon area.
During the proceedings at the Family and Juvenile Court, the 16-year-old boy initially pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The court remanded him into custody, addressing the conditions surrounding his remand and outlining specific directives for his custody and care.
Salifu Amoako, his wife Mouha Amoako, and Linda Bonsu Prempeh, a sales assistant, were also arrested following the accident.
The Accra Circuit Court granted Salifu Amoako and Mouha Amoako a GH¢50,000 bail each with two sureties.
Linda Bonsu Prempeh, who allegedly provided the key to the vehicle involved in the accident, was also granted bail in the same amount with two sureties, without justification.
The three individuals have been charged with "permitting an unlicensed person to drive" and all pleaded not guilty during their court appearance on Wednesday, October 16, 2024.
