Nana Agradaa loses court case, facing four-year jail term

•Agradaa pleaded not guilty initially but amended her pleas, based on which she was sentenced

•She has been fined GH¢46,000

Patience Asiedua, a self-acclaimed evangelist has been handed a fine of GH¢46,000 for operating television channels without certification and displaying what the court deems to be ‘charlatanic material.’

Nana Agradaa as she is popularly known was convicted by an Accra Circuit Court presided over by Emmanuel Essandoh. It is reported that Nana Agradaa pleaded guilty and was convicted on her own plea.

Agradaa according to court documents was fined GH¢36,000 for operating TV without appropriate document from the authorities.

Failure to pay the said amount will see her spend three years in prison with hard labour.

She was also fined GH¢10,000 for the display of charlatanic materials on live television. A default in payment will see her spend another year in prison.

The prison sentences will run concurrently as per the report.

Background

Nana Agradaa was arrested on April 22 by a joint team of police and national security operatives who raided and shutdown her two television stations.

Agradaa was charged with offences of charlatanic display contrary to section 137 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960. She was charged under section 110 of the Electronic Transaction Act 2008, Act 772.

On April 22, Agradaa pleaded not guilty to the charges and was granted a GH¢500,000 self-recognizance bail.

Agradaa denounced her ‘gods’ and announced her conversion to Christianity, adopting the name ‘vangelist’ Patience Asiedu.