A pastor, Rev. Michael Martey Marmah of the Lord of Nazareth Church at Teshie in Accra, has been arraigned before an Accra circuit court presided over by Justice Kyei Baffour, for conspiracy and stealing. He is alleged to have stolen mercury valued at GH¢7,500, from a cook, Mr. Michael Adu on June 7 this year. According to the prosecution, the complainant, Mr. Michael Adu, is a cook working at Frankie's Hotel at Osu, a suburb of Accra and the accused is a founder of the Lord of Nazareth Church at Teshie in Accra on June 4, this year, the accused discussed with Gloria, a friend, the possibility of getting mercury to be used by a church member to extract gold from the soil. Gloria discussed the mercury issue with Mr. Adu and he agreed to help. Mr. Adu contacted a witness and he also agreed to get the substance. On June 7, this year both the accused and Gloria now at large went to Mr. Adu and he showed them a box containing 20 drops of mercury. Rev. Marmah consented to buy after seeing the mercury and both of them proceeded to a house of a fetish priest (mallam) at Kasoa to find out if it was really mercury. At Kasoa, the mallam put a six inches nail into his nostrils and after inhaling it, he remarked that it was good. The accused bargained with Mr. Adu and settled on GH¢7, 500 as the price. He later deposited GH¢4,000. Rev. Marmah then collected the box containing the mercury from Mr. Adu and asked him to come the following day to enable them test it again at the 37 Military Hospital. At about 9 a.m. on June 10, Rev. Marmah sold the mercury and went into hiding. The accused was arrested on June 30, at his church and later granted bail. He has pleaded guilty. Source: The Spectator/Ghana