High Court slashes Agradaa’s 15-year sentence to one year
The Amasaman High Court has reduced the prison sentence of controversial televangelist Patricia Asiedua, popularly known as Nana Agradaa, from 15 years to one year after partially granting her appeal.
While the court upheld her conviction, it ruled that the original sentence imposed by the trial court was excessive and disproportionate to the offences committed. In delivering its judgment, the court said a one-year custodial term was more appropriate after considering the circumstances of the case and principles of fair sentencing.
Agradaa, a former traditional priestess who later became a Christian evangelist, was convicted last year by an Accra Circuit Court on charges including defrauding by false pretence and charlatanic advertisement. The case stemmed from allegations that she used church services and media platforms to solicit money from followers, promising financial breakthroughs that failed to materialise.
Her lawyers appealed both the conviction and sentence, arguing that the 15-year jail term was unduly harsh. Although the High Court declined to overturn the conviction, it agreed that the punishment required revision and consequently reduced it to 12 months, calculated from the date of her original conviction.
The ruling has generated mixed reactions nationwide, with some Ghanaians welcoming the reduction as fair and humane, while others believe the initial sentence sent a stronger deterrent message against religious fraud and exploitation.
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