From L to R: Agradaa, Empress Gifty and Obiri Boahen
Legal practitioner Obiri Boahen has stated that the 15-year jail sentence handed to Nana Agradaa, will not stop gospel singer Empress Gifty from pursuing her defamation case against the evangelist.
Speaking in an interview on Okay FM with Nana Romeo on July 3, 2025, the lawyer explained that even though Agradaa is to serve prison time for defrauding by false pretence and charlatanic advertisement, that does not mean other legal cases involving her will be paused.
“Empress Gifty still has a case, and regardless of whether Agradaa goes to prison, it will not affect Empress’ case against her. Empress can proceed with the prosecution even in Agradaa’s absence,” Obiri Boahen said.
He clarified that the court is not expected to wait for Agradaa to finish her prison sentence before allowing Empress Gifty’s case to continue.
According to him, the law allows court proceedings to go on whether or not an accused person is physically present.
“On the day of the hearing, if Agradaa is needed in court, the prosecution will still go ahead. The court will not delay Empress Gifty’s case just because Agradaa is in prison. There’s no law in Ghana that says cases should stop because someone is serving time,” he added.
Obiri Boahen also pointed out that if there are other court cases against Agradaa in different circuit courts, those cases will still continue.
He said in such situations, the court can issue a warrant for the prison authorities to bring Agradaa to court.
“If Agradaa has other cases in different courts, those hearings will not be cancelled. If her presence is required, the court can ask that she be transported from prison to attend the proceedings,” he explained.
Lawyer Obiri Boahen has clarified that Empress Gifty cannot be asked to move her defamation case to a different court just because it may be closer to Agradaa’s prison.
He explained that Agradaa’s lawyer can submit an application to the Chief Justice to consider her incarceration when handling the case.
“One cannot request that Empress Gifty move her case to another court, because that court might be closer to Agradaa’s prison location. The only way to accommodate Agradaa’s situation would be for her lawyer to submit an application to the Chief Justice, explaining that his client is currently incarcerated,” he added.
GhanaWeb Special: The gold market that fuels galamsey
AK/EB
