Four persons were on Monday sentenced to five years' imprisonment each by a Circuit Court in Accra for siphoning 150,000 dollars belonging to Spintex Road Branch of the Synagogue Church of All Nations.
They are evangelist Patrick Olube, 34, Ebenezer Nyarku, 21, a technician, Richard Mensah, a 28 year old driver and Adams Opare, a 27 year old photographer, all members of the church.
They were charged with conspiracy to steal.
Nyarko and Mensah were additionally charged with unlawful entry and stealing.
Opare was additionally charged with abetment of crime.
The four, who were without legal representation, pleaded guilty with explanation.
The convicts claimed they had worked for the church for eight years and they were not paid any salaries adding, they were only offered a token amount as transportation after Sunday church services.
According to them they had met with senior officials of the church and pleaded with them to establish some vocations associated with their respective jobs so they could earn some money to take care of their families.
The convicts said because the church refused, they decided to steal the money.
The prosecutor, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Reindolph Agyemang, said the complainant was Evangelist Victoria Adebayo, resident evangelist of Synagogue Church of all Nations, led by Bishop T.B. Joshua.
ASP Agyemang said the convicts had been trained to cover the church's activities. While Mensah lived at the church premises the others lived at different locations in Accra.
The prosecution said because Mensah lived at the church premises, he monitored the activities of the complainant.
On April 22, this year, the convicts held a series of meetings at the church premises so they could steal money from the church, which was to be used for a building project.
On the same day, the prosecution said, Mensah stole the keys of the mission house while Nyarku guarded the mission house to ensure that they were not caught.
Mensah and Nyarko broke into the hall of the mission house with a crow bar and found 150,000 dollars.
Prosecution said the two took the money and sent it to the house of Opare at Afienya where they hid it for three weeks and later transferred it to Nyarku's house where it was shared equally among them.
The prosecutor said each of the convicts bought a car and home appliances.
Following a complainant lodged with the Police, the convicts were rounded up and they confessed to the crime.
The prosecution said the police was led to their homes and cars as well as the home appliances were recovered.