Evangelist Patricia Asiedua, widely known as Nana Agradaa, called on her church members to “keep praying” as she was led away by police officers on Thursday, May 3, following a 15-year custodial sentence with hard labour handed down by the Circuit Court in Accra.
Her emotional message came in response to journalist question moments after the court convicted her on two counts of defrauding by false pretenses.
In addition to the prison term, she was fined GH¢300 — equivalent to 25 penalty units — for engaging in charlatanic advertisement. Failure to pay the fine would attract a further 30-day jail term.
The sentence was delivered by Her Honour Evelyn Asamoah of Circuit Court 10, who noted that the convict’s actions were premeditated and lacked any indication of true remorse.
The case stems from Agradaa’s October 2022 arrest, following a widely circulated televised promotion in which she claimed to possess spiritual powers to double money. Several victims who responded to the broadcast reported being defrauded, prompting an investigation and subsequent prosecution.
During sentencing, her legal counsel, Richard Asare Baffour, appealed to the court to consider a non-custodial sentence, highlighting the personal impact on Agradaa’s five children. He noted that her eldest child is a 24-year-old law student, while the youngest is only three years old.
He further argued that Agradaa had cooperated with investigators and shown remorse throughout the nearly three-year-long proceedings.
The prosecution, led by ASP Emmanuel Haligah, firmly opposed the plea, citing a prior conviction in 2021 related to the illegal operation of a television station that broadcast similar deceptive content.
He maintained that Agradaa’s repeated conduct demonstrated a pattern of calculated deception.
The court agreed with the prosecution’s stance and ruled that the severity of the offence warranted a custodial sentence, especially given her previous conviction and the impact of her actions on the victims.
Once a self-styled traditional priestess who later rebranded herself as a Christian evangelist, Agradaa’s ministry, Heaven Way Champion International, now faces an uncertain future as she begins her prison term.
