The Amasaman High Court has denied bail to Evangelist Patricia Asiedua, popularly known as Nana Agradaa amidst an appeal to overturn her 15-year prison sentence.
The leader of the Heaven Way Champions International Ministry was on Thursday, July 3, jailed for 15 years after the circuit court found her guilty of charlatanic advertisement and defrauding by false pretense.
Agradaa was fined 25 penalty units, equivalent to 300 Ghana cedis and sentenced to 15 years with hard labour each on two counts of defrauding by false pretense. The sentences are to run concurrently.
Following her conviction, lawyers for the televangelist on July 7, filed an appeal against her 15 years sentence and a motion for bail pending the hearing of the appeal.
The application assured the court that Agradaa was not a flight risk, would comply with all bail conditions, and had sureties capable of meeting any security requirements.
However, the judge declined to grant bail and directed the court registrar to produce records of proceedings within 14 days to aid the appeal process.
“We wanted bail pending appeal, and the court did not grant it. The court has given an order that the Circuit Court furnish the court with all the processes needed for the appeal. We will continue the appeal process,” a member of Agradaa’s legal team, Dr. Bernard Kofi Asamoah said in an interview with CitiNews on Tuesday, July 15,2025.
Meanwhile, Agradaa’s lead counsel Richard Baffour has indicated that the appeal was premised on grounds that the judge in the matter erred in law by shifting the burden of proof to his client, thereby requiring her to prove her innocence although the prosecution failed to present substantive evidence.
They also note in the appeal that “the trial judge demonstrated manifest bias and personal animosity towards the petitioner by persistently engaging in confrontations, harassment, and intimidation of the accused’s lawyers in open court, thereby denying her adequate and effective representation.
Additionally, the lawyer notes that the 15-year sentence in hard labour is harsh and excessive considering the circumstances of the case.
