(In Ghana) Former Fetish Priestess Turned Evangelist Nana Agradaa Sentenced to 15 Years for Fraud and Charlatanic Advertisement

 

Patricia Asiedua Asiamah, widely known as Nana Agradaa, a former fetish priestess turned evangelist and founder of Heaven Way Church, has sparked widespread attention in Ghana following her conviction and sentencing by the Accra Circuit Court on July 3, 2025. Presided over by Justice Evelyn Asamoah, the court found Agradaa guilty of charlatanic advertisement and defrauding by false pretenses, stemming from a 2022 televised broadcast where she falsely claimed to possess supernatural powers to double money.

 The fraudulent scheme lured numerous individuals to her Weija-based church, where they parted with significant sums expecting miraculous financial returns that never materialized.The court ordered a mandatory pregnancy test before sentencing, as required by Ghanaian judicial procedures for female convicts. Following confirmation that Agradaa was not pregnant, Justice Asamoah sentenced her to 15 years in prison with hard labor for two counts of defrauding by false pretenses, to run concurrently, and fined her GH¢300 (25 penalty units) for charlatanic advertisement, with an additional 30-day sentence if unpaid. 

The prosecution, led by ASP Emmanuel Haligah, highlighted Agradaa’s prior 2021 conviction for similar offenses, arguing her actions showed premeditation and a lack of remorse. Despite her lawyer’s plea for leniency, citing her role as a mother of five, the court emphasized the need for deterrence. The ruling has fueled public debate, with many praising it as a stand against fraudulent religious practices.

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