Lawyer for evangelist Patricia Asiedua Asiamah, popularly known as Nana Agradaa, has strongly condemned the 15-year prison sentence handed to his client, describing the ruling as a “travesty of justice.”
Speaking after the judgment was delivered by Her Honour Evelyn Asamoah at Circuit Court 10 in Accra, on Citi Eyewitness News on Thursday July 3,Richard Asare Baffour said the legal team was shocked by the outcome and took issue with the court’s reasoning.
“We were not expecting this at all, but in summary, the judgement delivered by the court today is nothing but a travesty of justice,” Baffour stated. “We say so not because the decision did not go our way. We say so because we are deeply concerned about the reasoning of the court.”
Earlier in court, Baffour had pleaded for leniency, highlighting Agradaa’s role as a mother of five, with children ranging from a 24-year-old law student to a three-year-old toddler. He argued that her remorse, good conduct during trial, and the length of legal proceedings should have warranted a non-custodial sentence.
However, the court rejected the plea, finding Agradaa guilty of two counts of defrauding by false pretenses and one count of charlatanic advertisement. She was sentenced to 15 years in prison on the fraud charges (to run concurrently) and fined GH¢300 for the charlatanic advertisement charge. Failure to pay the fine would attract an additional 30-day jail term.
The prosecution, led by ASP Emmanuel Haligah, had argued for a stiff sentence, citing Agradaa’s prior conviction in 2021 for similar offences and stressing the need to deter fraudulent spiritual practices.
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