Why Agradaa’s 15-Year Sentence Was Reduced to 12 Months – Full Breakdown of Ruling

The Amasaman High Court has explained in detail its decision to reduce the custodial sentence of controversial evangelist Nana Agradaa from 15 years with hard labour to 12 months, following her appeal against the severity of the punishment.

Delivering the judgement, Justice H.L. Solomon Oppong-Twumasi upheld Agradaa’s conviction but concluded that the original sentence was disproportionate, given established sentencing principles and the circumstances of the case.

The court emphasised that Agradaa’s guilt was not in dispute. The appeal addressed the sentence, not the conviction, which was for charlatanic advertisement and defrauding by false pretence.

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“The appeal before this court is not against the conviction but rather against the sentence imposed,” the judge stated.

While recognising the seriousness of the offences, the court ruled that the initial 15-year sentence failed to balance punishment and proportionality.

Justice Oppong-Twumasi noted that sentencing must be guided by consistency, fairness, and proportionality.

“The sentence imposed must reflect the gravity of the offence while remaining proportionate to the circumstances of the offender and the facts of the case,” he said.

He added that sentencing is corrective, not vindictive, and the trial court had not sufficiently considered mitigating factors before imposing the maximum term.

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Exercising its discretionary powers, the High Court substituted the original sentence with a 12-month custodial term, calculated from 3 July 2025, the date of Agradaa’s conviction.

“This court has the power and the duty to interfere where a sentence is found to be disproportionate to the offence committed,” Justice Oppong-Twumasi explained.

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The ruling addressed claims that religious prophecies influenced the outcome.

“I wish to place it on record that the judgement was in no way influenced by any prophecy but was based purely on the facts and the law that were placed before the court,” the judge stated.

He cautioned religious figures against commenting on pending cases. “Let no man, no matter how powerful and prophetic he may be, claim any credit for what happened today,” Justice Oppong-Twumasi warned. The court stressed that the judiciary relies on law, not prophecy.

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Nana Agradaa, a former fetish priestess turned Christian evangelist, was convicted over a 2022 televised broadcast in which she claimed to multiply money through spiritual powers, inducing members of the public to part with funds based on false representations.

Her conviction initially sparked debate, with many supporting the 15-year sentence as a deterrent against spiritual fraud.

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“Our judicial system, no matter its imperfections, is based on the law and enforced before us,” the judge concluded, reaffirming that justice must remain measured, fair, and grounded in law.