The lawyer for former traditional priestess turned evangelist Patricia Asiedua Asiamah, also known as Nana Agradaa, has announced preparations to fight his client’s 15-year jail sentence imposed by the Circuit Court in Accra.
Richard Asare Baffour, speaking on Citi Eyewitness News on Thursday, July 3, called the verdict as a miscarriage of justice and stated that the legal team planned to submit an appeal as soon as possible.
“The good thing is that this judgment is delivered by the Circuit Court. So the appellate court—we will file the necessary processes early Monday morning. We are going to do that early Monday morning,” Baffour said.
For two charges of defrauding under false pretenses, Her Honour Evelyn Asamoah of Circuit Court sentenced Agradaa to 10 to 15 years in jail. For one count of charlatanic advertising, she was also fined GH¢300 and given a 30-day jail sentence if she didn’t pay.
Baffour cited what he described as faulty reasoning in support of his unhappiness with the court’s verdict.
“We were not expecting this at all but in summary, the judgment delivered by the court today is nothing but a travesty of justice,” he said.
He added: “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.”
Baffour had previously appealed for leniency, highlighting Agradaa’s role as a mother of five and her contrite actions throughout the trial. The prosecution, however, claimed that a severe punishment would serve as a deterrent to future frauds, and the court agreed.
In October 2022, Agradaa was arrested for promoting a money-doubling scheme at a church function. Currently, her legal team is hoping that the appeal would reverse the judgment or lessen the severity of the penalty.
