The Amasaman High Court has significantly reduced the prison sentence of self-styled evangelist Nana Agradaa, revising her original 15-year term with hard labour to 12 calendar months after a judicial review of her case.
In a ruling delivered after reconsidering the circumstances surrounding her conviction, the court upheld the guilty verdict but found the initial punishment to be excessive and disproportionate to the nature of the offences. Exercising its discretionary powers, the court concluded that although the crimes warranted custodial punishment, the length and conditions attached to the original sentence exceeded what was reasonable under the law.
The judges noted that while the offences were serious and justified imprisonment, the earlier sentence did not align with established principles of proportionality in sentencing. This assessment formed the basis for the downward revision.
Nana Agradaa, born Patricia Asiedua, is a former fetish priestess who later rebranded herself as a Christian evangelist. She was convicted earlier this year on charges of charlatanic advertisement and defrauding by false pretence.
The charges arose from a televised broadcast in 2022 in which she claimed to possess supernatural powers capable of multiplying money. According to prosecutors, several individuals were persuaded by these claims and handed over substantial sums of money in anticipation of miraculous financial returns. These promises, however, were never fulfilled.
Following complaints from victims, she was arrested, prosecuted, and eventually sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment with hard labour, a sentence that sparked widespread public debate and legal commentary across the country.
The court’s latest decision effectively brings closure to months of legal scrutiny and public discussion surrounding one of the most high-profile criminal cases involving a religious figure in recent years.
With the revised sentence now standing at 12 months, Nana Agradaa may be released much sooner than initially expected, subject to standard prison regulations and time already served.