Agradaa’s lawyer denies reports court has ordered her to pay Empress Gifty GH₵100,000

The legal team representing jailed televangelist Nana Agradaa has pushed back strongly against claims circulating in the media that the Tema High Court ordered her to pay GH₵100,000 in damages to gospel musician Empress Gifty.

Nana Agradaa, born Patricia Asiedua, is currently serving a 15-year prison sentence after being convicted on 3 July 2025 by an Accra High Court on charges of fraud and charlatanic advertising.

The court found that she had deceived several members of her congregation by promoting an alleged ability to “double money.” Her arrest in 2022 followed the emergence of a viral video showing distraught church members claiming they had lost large sums of money.

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After a trial that lasted nearly three years, the self-styled televangelist was incarcerated at Nsawam Prison in the Eastern Region. Prior to her imprisonment, she had been embroiled in a highly publicised dispute with gospel singer Empress Gifty and her husband, political activist Hopeson Adorye.

The feud began when Adorye publicly criticised Agradaa and issued warnings over a controversial dollar-gifting incident involving acting GoldBod Chief Executive Officer Sammy Gyamfi.

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In response, the founder of Heaven Way Church allegedly launched a series of attacks against Hopeson Adorye and drew Empress Gifty into the dispute, making derogatory remarks and unsubstantiated claims about their marriage and personal lives. The comments prompted Empress Gifty to file a GH₵20 million defamation suit against Agradaa.

Reports surfaced on 20 January 2025 suggesting that the Tema High Court had ordered Agradaa to pay GH₵100,000 to the gospel musician as part of a settlement. However, her lawyer has now described those reports as inaccurate.

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On 21 January, Agradaa was brought back before the court as proceedings resumed at the Amasaman High Court, where her appeal against the 15-year sentence is being heard. Footage from the courtroom showed the incarcerated preacher appearing with her face partially covered, as she has done in previous hearings.

Speaking to journalists after the session, her lawyer sought to clarify what he described as “misleading” accounts of the case. He insisted that no court order had been made compelling his client to pay damages.

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“It is not true that the Tema High Court directed Nana Agradaa to pay GH₵100,000 to Empress Gifty,” he said, explaining that both parties had instead reached an agreement for Agradaa to cover the gospel singer’s legal costs.

He concluded by urging journalists and media houses to exercise caution when reporting on court matters, stressing the importance of accuracy to avoid misleading the public.