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US-based Ghanaian legal scholar and political commentator, Professor Kwaku Asare, popularly known as Kwaku Azar, has called on the Office of the Attorney General to immediately challenge the High Court (Appellate Division) decision that reduced the prison sentence of evangelist Patricia Asiedua Asiamah, widely known as Nana Agradaa.
In a Facebook post on Friday, February 6, 2026, Prof Asare described the appellate court’s ruling as legally flawed and warned that it could set a dangerous precedent within Ghana’s justice system.
According to him, the trial court acted fully within the law, a fact he noted was acknowledged by the appellate court itself. He therefore questioned the basis for the drastic reduction in Agradaa’s sentence.
“The Agradaa trial court followed the law. That is not my opinion. It is the appellate court’s own finding,” he stated.
He continued, “If the trial court acted within the law, why did the appellate court reduce two 15-year sentences, served concurrently, to two one-year sentences, also to be served concurrently? That question exposes the core problem with the judgment.”
Prof Asare outlined five major concerns with the appellate court’s decision. He argued that the judges replaced established legal principles with personal opinions and philosophical reflections.
According to him, appellate courts are expected to determine whether a trial court acted outside the law or abused its discretion. They are not mandated to substitute their own views on sentencing where the law was properly applied.
Nana Agradaa, a former fetish priestess turned evangelist, was initially sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment with hard labour by an Accra Circuit Court after being found guilty of defrauding by false pretences and engaging in charlatanic advertising.
However, following an appeal, the High Court upheld her conviction but reduced her sentence to one year.
In its ruling, the appellate court explained that although the conviction was sound, the original punishment was disproportionate to the circumstances of the case. The judge described the 15-year sentence as “killing a mosquito with a sledgehammer,” citing the relatively small amount of money involved in the specific charges.
The court also imposed a fine of 200 penalty units, equivalent to GH¢2,400.
The revised sentence takes effect from July 3, 2025, the date of her conviction, meaning Nana Agradaa is expected to serve a total of 12 months in prison.
The case against Agradaa stemmed from a money-doubling scheme she allegedly promoted on a television platform. Prosecutors said she used the platform to lure victims into donating money with promises of receiving multiplied returns through spiritual intervention.
The trial court found her guilty, noting her lack of remorse and describing the offence as predatory in nature.
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