US-based Ghanaian legal scholar professor Kwaku Asare
US-based Ghanaian legal scholar professor Kwaku Asare, popularly known as Kwaku Azar, has called on the Office of the Attorney General to immediately challenge the recent High Court (Appellate Division) decision that significantly reduced the prison sentence of Patricia Asiedua Asiamah, widely known as Nana Agradaa.
In a Facebook post on Friday, February 6, 2026, Prof Asare argued that the appellate court erred in its judgment and warned that the ruling could create a dangerous precedent within Ghana’s justice system.
According to him, the trial court had acted within the law, a finding he noted was acknowledged by the appellate court itself.
He questioned why the sentence was drastically reduced if no legal wrongdoing was established at the trial stage.
“The Agradaa trial court followed the law. That is not opinion. That is the appellate court’s own finding. So the key question is simple:
“If the trial court acted within the law, why did the appellate court reduce two 15-year sentences (served concurrently) to two one-year sentences (also concurrent)?
“That question exposes the core problem with the judgment, “ he said.
Prof Asare outlined five key concerns about the appellate court’s decision, beginning with what he described as the replacement of established legal principles with personal opinions and philosophical reflections.
FULL RULING: Why court reduced Nana Agradaa’s 15-year sentence to 12months
He argued that appellate courts are mandated to determine whether trial courts acted outside the law or abused their discretion, rather than substituting their own views on sentencing.
The former fetish priestess turned evangelist was initially sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment with hard labour by a Circuit Court after being convicted of defrauding by false pretences and engaging in charlatanic advertisements.
However, following an appeal, the High Court reduced the sentence to one year.
The appellate court upheld her conviction but exercised its discretionary powers to review the punishment, ruling that the initial sentence was disproportionate to the circumstances of the case.
The case against Nana Agradaa stemmed from a money-doubling scheme in which she allegedly used a television platform to lure victims into donating money with promises of receiving multiplied returns. The trial court found her guilty, citing her lack of remorse and the predatory nature of the offence.
In its ruling delivered on Thursday, February 5, 2026, the appellate judge described the original 15-year sentence as “killing a mosquito with a sledgehammer,” referencing the relatively small sum of GH¢1,000 involved in the specific charges.
The court further imposed a fine of 200 penalty units, equivalent to GH¢2,400. The revised sentence takes effect from July 3, 2025, the date of her conviction, meaning she is expected to serve a total of 12 months in prison.
Read his full statement below :>
AM
Meanwhile, watch the excitement, divisions over Agradaa’s reduced sentence>
