Samson Lardy Anyenini, host of JoyNews’ Newsfile, has strongly criticized the reduction of evangelist Nana Agradaa’s prison sentence from 15 years to one year, describing the decision as legally unsound and socially dangerous.
Speaking on Newsfile on Saturday, February 7, 2026, Anyenini argued that Agradaa’s conduct amounted to a second degree felony and not a minor offense that could justify such a drastic reduction in punishment. He stressed that the nature and scale of the crime demanded a sentence that reflected its seriousness.
According to Anyenini, Agradaa was not a mosquito, emphasizing that her actions caused far reaching harm rather than negligible damage. He described her conduct as organized, faith based fraud deliberately designed to prey on vulnerable individuals seeking spiritual and financial relief.
He noted that such acts are predatory, exploiting belief systems and religious trust, and leaving victims emotionally, spiritually, and financially damaged. Beyond individual victims, the offense inflicts serious social harm, eroding public trust and normalizing exploitation under the guise of religion, he argued.
Anyenini warned that the ruling risks turning the law into a shield for wrongdoing rather than a deterrent, sending a dangerous message to society. In his view, the decision could embolden other self styled spiritual leaders and charlatans to continue fraudulent practices, confident that the legal consequences would be minimal.
This ruling will empower these charlatans to persist in their fraudulent activities, he cautioned, adding that it weakens the state’s ability to combat organized religious scams.
The Newsfile host further described the judgment as fundamentally flawed and called on the Attorney General to take urgent steps to address the matter. He argued that allowing the ruling to stand without challenge would undermine public confidence in the justice system and fail to protect vulnerable citizens.
This is not where you sit back and say, oh, I did my case, got 15 years, and the court has reduced it to one year, so my job is done. No, the state, which has hired you to work, requires you to take this case up to the Court of Appeal and get this sentence reversed, he stated.
Describing the sentence reduction as a sledgehammer ruling with far reaching implications, Anyenini insisted that the decision must be re examined to preserve the integrity of the law and ensure that organized fraud, especially when cloaked in religion, is punished in a manner proportionate to its gravity.
Anyenini noted that the judge who reduced the sentence had nonetheless affirmed that Agradaa’s conviction was proper and that the circuit court judge had erred in no way. He questioned the basis for the sentence reduction, pointing to the statutory thresholds set for misdemeanors and felonies.
The legal practitioner explained that Agradaa was convicted on misdemeanor and second degree felony charges, adding that even under the old legal regime, the maximum custodial sentence should not exceed 10 years. The thresholds were not set for nothing, he stressed.
According to him, the state’s failure to appeal would send the wrong signal and weaken public confidence in the criminal justice system. If the state does not appeal this reduction, it signals an abdication of its duty to protect the public from such spiritual predators, he indicated.
Anyenini also raised concerns about what he termed selective justice, arguing that leniency should not be reserved for prominent or supposedly reformed individuals while less privileged citizens suffer harsh penalties for minor offenses. The so called repentant are given a free pass, while the poor languish in prison for stealing a goat. Attorney General, it is time to act. Reverse this sledgehammer ruling and restore the teeth of our criminal justice system, he concluded.
The Amasaman High Court on Thursday, February 5, 2026, reduced the 15 year jail term of convicted evangelist Patricia Asiedua, popularly known as Nana Agradaa, to 12 months, ruling that the original punishment was harsh and excessive.
Justice Solomon Oppong Twumasi, presiding judge, upheld Agradaa’s conviction but exercised the court’s discretionary powers to review the sentence. The judge held that the earlier sentence focused disproportionately on the personality of the convict rather than the specific circumstances of the offenses.
Agradaa was originally convicted on July 3, 2025, by an Accra Circuit Court for charlatanic advertisement and defrauding by false pretenses. She was accused of collecting various sums of money from church attendees after promoting supposed money doubling powers on Today’s TV and various social media platforms.
The prosecution’s case centered on Agradaa’s activities where she allegedly advertised a money doubling scheme and invited members of the public to attend an all night service at her church, promising to double their money through purported spiritual powers. More than 1,000 people reportedly attended the service and handed over large sums of cash, but the promise was not fulfilled, leaving many financially distressed.
As part of the revised punishment, the court ordered Nana Agradaa to pay a fine of 200 penalty units, amounting to GHC2,400, and to refund GHC1,000 to her two complainants. The revised sentence takes effect from her conviction date, meaning she will serve a total of 12 months in custody.
Justice Oppong Twumasi famously compared the original punishment to killing a mosquito with a sledgehammer, a metaphor Anyenini took issue with during his commentary. The judge noted that the trial court failed to account for the 32 days Agradaa spent in custody prior to judgment and that the trial judge appeared to have focused on the person rather than the crime.
Anyenini joins several legal experts who have publicly criticized the sentence reduction. Professor Stephen Kwaku Asare, known as Kwaku Azar, argued that the ruling replaces established law with personal philosophy and metaphors, warning that the decision creates a dangerous void in the legal framework.
Private legal practitioner Austin Kwabena Brako Powers described the reduction as a blow to the fight against fraud, arguing that it undermines the purpose of deterrence in criminal punishment, particularly in cases involving large scale deception of vulnerable citizens.
Member of Parliament for Bongo, Charles Bawaduah, stated on GBC’s Current Agenda on Saturday, February 7, 2026, that the court has made a mockery of Ghana’s criminal justice system by reducing Agradaa’s sentence. This is basically saying that you can do anything wrong and get away with it. The outcome does not serve us well as a country, he noted.
The controversy has sparked intense public debate about sentencing consistency in fraud related cases, deterrence against religious and media based scams, and public trust in Ghana’s justice system. Legal scholars have expressed concerns that the ruling may encourage similar fraudulent activities by creating an impression that the legal consequences for faith based fraud are minimal.
Agradaa is currently serving her sentence at the Nsawam Female Prison. With the new ruling, the 15 year sentence has been completely set aside and replaced by the one year term and fine. Having already spent about seven months in prison since her conviction, she has approximately five months remaining before release.
The case has attracted significant public attention due to the scale of the alleged fraud, the prominent status of the accused, and broader concerns about the proliferation of prosperity gospel scams targeting vulnerable Ghanaians seeking financial breakthroughs through spiritual means.
As calls mount for the Attorney General to appeal the ruling, the case remains a touchstone for discussions on legal reform, judicial discretion, accountability in high profile criminal cases, and the state’s responsibility to protect citizens from organized religious exploitation.
