Self-styled spiritualist and founder of Heaven Way Champions International Ministry, Patricia Asiedua, popularly known as Nana Agradaa, has been sentenced to 15 years imprisonment with hard labour after being found guilty on multiple counts of charlatanic advertisement and defrauding by false pretence.
The sentence was handed down by Her Honour Evelyn E. Asamoah at the Circuit Court ’10’ in Accra on Thursday, July 3, 2025.
Nana Agradaa was accused of orchestrating a scheme to defraud her church attendees during an all-night service and disseminating deceptive videos on social media. She had pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The deceptive scheme according to the prosecution’s case, Nana Agradaa advertised on Today’s TV and other social media platforms on October 5, 2022, that she would be organising an all-night service on October 7, 2022. During this service, she promised to share GH¢300,000.00 with participants who needed money for business or rent, even displaying bundles of cash in her advertisements to entice the public.
Investigations revealed that many people, drawn by these false representations, traveled from various locations to attend the service. During the all-night service, Nana Agradaa directed the congregation to form groups, each of 20 members, and contribute various sums of money (e.g. GH¢1,000.00 per person to receive GH¢50,000.00 to share). The complainants, acting on these promises, parted with their money.
However, after collecting the funds, Nana Agradaa failed to deliver on her promises, leaving the attendees stranded. She allegedly told them the money collected was for a “Kofi and Ama collection,” a statement that angered the congregation.
Key evidence and court findings
The prosecution presented compelling evidence, including videos of Nana Agradaa’s advertisements and church activities (Exhibit B), a cyber intelligence report (Exhibit A), and transcriptions of excerpts from the videos (Exhibit C series). These demonstrated her clear invitation to the public with promises of money distribution.
Crucially, the court found significant inconsistencies in Nana Agradaa’s defense. While she initially denied posting advertisements on social media or being aware of their sharing, her caution statement (Exhibit J) contradicted this, admitting to creating and publishing the videos on Facebook and Today’s TV.
Furthermore, despite her claims that no incidents occurred, and lights never went out, witness testimonies and even her own defense’s video evidence (Exhibit 1B) showed instances of lights going off during the service, which the prosecution argued was a deliberate attempt to conceal her activities. The video submitted by the defense was also found to be incomplete and non-sequential, with key moments of group contributions and payments missing.
The court emphasised that Nana Agradaa’s actions constituted defrauding by false pretence, as she made representations knowing them to be false, with the intent to defraud, and successfully obtained money from her victims based on these false pretences.
Sentencing and aggravating factors
While her counsel pleaded for a non-custodial sentence, citing her role as a mother of five and a first-time offender, the prosecution highlighted aggravating factors.
These included the premeditated nature of the crime, the surge in similar charlatanic advertisements, and the fact that Nana Agradaa was not a first-time offender, having been previously convicted in 2021 for a similar offense.
The court, guided by the Ghana Sentencing Guidelines, noted the prevalence of such offenses, Nana Agradaa’s status as a religious leader, and her skillful execution of the crimes, including turning off cameras and lights and involving thugs. Her lack of remorse was also considered.
Ultimately, the court delivered a deterrent custodial sentence, convicting Nana Agradaa of charlatanic advertisement (Count 1) and defrauding by false pretence (Counts 2 and 3). She received 25 penalty units or 30 days in default for Count 1, and 15 years imprisonment with hard labour for both Count 2 and Count 3, with the sentences to run concurrently. She was acquitted of Counts 4 and 5 due to a lack of evidence from the complainants.
Nana Agradaa’s legal team has filed an appeal with the High Court, seeking to overturn both the conviction and the sentence. They argue that the ruling was unjust and that she was denied a fair trial.
The outcome of the appeal is still pending.
