Nana Agradaa sentenced to 15 years in prison for fraud and charlatanic advertisements

Former traditional priestess turned evangelist, Patricia Asiedua Asiamah, widely known as Nana Agradaa, has been sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment with hard labour by an Accra Circuit Court for her involvement in fraudulent religious activities.

The conviction was handed down after the court found her guilty on multiple counts of charlatanic advertisement and defrauding by false pretence.

The charges stemmed from a televised broadcast in 2022, during which Nana Agradaa claimed to possess spiritual powers capable of doubling money.

Her claims, widely disseminated via her Today-TV channel and other social media platforms, led numerous victims to part with large sums of money in anticipation of miraculous financial returns; promises that were never fulfilled.

Court documents revealed that she urged viewers to attend an all-night service at her church, Heaven Way Champion International Ministry at Weija in Accra, with the assurance that any amount of money offered would be doubled.

According to the prosecution, six complainants, along with more than a thousand others, travelled from various parts of the country to participate, offering money as instructed but receiving nothing in return.

“The accused successfully demanded and received huge sums of money from some members of the public, who attended the said all-night service at Heaven Way Champion International Ministry, Weija, including complainants in this matter, as indicated on the face of the charge sheet,” the prosecution stated.

Further investigations confirmed that the accused collaborated with others to carry out the fraudulent scheme.

The court also noted that her conduct had the hallmarks of a coordinated and deliberate attempt to defraud vulnerable members of the public under the guise of religious ritual.

Before sentencing, the court ordered a mandatory pregnancy test, as required under Ghanaian judicial procedures for female convicts. The test confirmed she was not pregnant, allowing the court to proceed with delivering the sentence.