Concerned Member Calls on EP Church Moderator to Step Aside Pending Forensic Audit
A concerned member of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana, has called on Right Rev. Dr Lt Col (Rtd) Bliss Divine Agbeko, Moderator of the General Assembly, and Rev. Daniel Torvinyo, the Church’s Director of Finance, to step aside from their positions pending an independent forensic audit into the operations of a church-owned company.
Mr. Justice Nyatefe, the concerned member, made the call in a formal statement directed at the General Assembly Executive Council, alleging that Prime Natural Mineral Drinking Water Limited (PNMDWL), a company established by the Church, was improperly registered in the private names of the Moderator, Rev. Torvinyo, and Lawyer Dick Anyadi, a non-clergy trustee.
The allegations extend to claims of financial misconduct, including double salaries drawn from the company and a failure to maintain proper accounting records over a period of six years. Mr. Nyatefe further alleged that the Moderator simultaneously serves as a director, majority shareholder, beneficial owner, and trustee of PNMDWL while chairing General Assembly meetings that demand accountability from the company’s directors — a situation he characterised as a fundamental conflict of interest.
“The integrity of the General Assembly Executive Council 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,” Mr. Nyatefe said in his statement.
He added that if the Council failed to act, it “could be perceived by church members as being complicit in the alleged mismanagement.” Mr. Nyatefe described the choice before Council members as one 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.”
Among the specific measures requested, Mr. Nyatefe called for the immediate commissioning of an independent forensic audit of PNMDWL, with findings to be presented to the General Assembly Executive Council. He also urged the suspension of the transfer of Covenant Sunday funds, which were used to establish the water company, until the audit is completed and reviewed.
Rev. Dr. Lawson Dzanku, Clerk of the General Assembly, responded to the allegations by rejecting them as speculative. “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,” Rev. Dzanku said, denying that PNMDWL was established without the Church’s knowledge or involvement.
The dispute raises broader questions about governance and financial accountability within one of Ghana’s oldest religious institutions. Mr. Nyatefe has called on Church associations — including the Pastors Association, Catechists and Evangelists Union, Presbyters Union, and Men’s Fellowship — to mobilise in demanding a transparent resolution.
The coming weeks will test whether the Church’s internal governance structures can address the allegations credibly, or whether the matter will escalate into a wider confrontation between leadership and the congregation.
Image Source: GHANA BUSINESS NEWS
