Daniel Olukoya, general overseer
of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM), says a former pastor who
allegedly tried to steal a branch of the church in Maryland, US, is behind the
attempt “to tarnish his reputation”.
In a statement Collins Edomaruse,
his media aide, issued on his behalf on Saturday, Olukoya said some people are
plotting to destroy the global image of his church.
He said seven allegations were
levelled again the church recently but all of them are false.
“It has become pertinent for the
purpose of clarity to respond to the false allegations being peddled against
the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries and our General Overseer – Dr. D.
K. Olukoya in the social media,” the statement read.
“These allegations are seven (7)
in number namely: No. 1 That Dr. Olukoya falsely claimed residence of US city
of Maryland. Nothing can be further from the truth. Dr. Olukoya is a public
figure nationally and internationally. His domicile is therefore a fact of
public knowledge. The true position is that the Pastor who wanted to register
MFM in Maryland inserted Dr. Olukoya’s name without prior consultation with or
knowledge of the G.O because he believed that Dr. Olukoya should be involved
but after he consulted a lawyer and received advice that a person’s name cannot
be on the incorporation documents unless he is resident in Maryland, that
registration was put in abeyance and allowed to lapse. The Pastor is still
alive and all the evidence are there for all to see at the Company Registry in
Maryland.
“No. 2 Allegation is that Dr.
Olukoya Illegally Imported books into the United States and evaded payment of
Customs duties on those books.
“This is also untrue. Dr.
Olukoya’s books are sold on Amazon. It is fool hardy for anyone to suggest that
he brought in his books to US illegally when he can and has been doing so
legally. This false allegation was pioneered by a former Pastor of MFM who
tried to steal MFM Branch in Maryland. He conceived this lie as his defence to
a civil Suit the Church brought against him in the County Court in Maryland.
This concocted lie could best be described as the wild thrashings of a drowning
man intent on bringing everybody down with him. However, in defence of this
allegation, MFM brought its book keeper to testify in court who produced all
the receipts of payment and customs documents and, in the end, the Judge not
only thrashed the wild allegation but gave judgement in favour of MFM.”
Olukoya also denied the
allegation that the church’s trustees in the UK were suspended.
In 2019, the UK Charities
Commission appointed an interim manager to Mountain of Fire and Miracles
Ministries International.
At the time, the commission said
it had concerns about the activities of the church including the repeated late
filing of financial information, the governance of the charity and a failure in
the administration which gives room for significant losses to occur.
But in his statement, Olukoya
said: “The allegation that the Trustees in the UK were suspended is completely
false. They were never suspended. They are still in charge of the Church even
up till now. The trustees were never indicted. We can authoritatively say that
no Trustee of MFM-UK has ever committed fraud.”
He said he wrote a letter to the
UK Charity Commission to challenge the “non-factual nature” of the report
written about him and the commission replied on August 20, 2019 that it would
address the complaint.
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