Nana Agradaa is the Founder and Leader of Heaven Way Church

The Ghana Prisons Service has dismissed reports circulating on social media suggesting that convicted evangelist Patricia Asiedua Asiamah, popularly known as Nana Agradaa, is not in custody or has been assaulted by inmates.

Speaking on Adom TV on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, and monitored by GhanaWeb, Superintendent Adamu Latif, a public relations officer at the Service, confirmed that Nana Agradaa began her prison sentence on Saturday, July 5, 2025.

He explained that although her sentencing occurred on Thursday, July 3, 2025, administrative processes delayed her transfer to prison until Saturday due to the Friday holiday.

“We are aware that Agradaa has been sentenced, and I have seen a viral video that suggests she is not in prison. It is not true. I want to state emphatically that she is in prison. She started her prison sentence on Saturday, July 5, 2025. Friday was a holiday, so there was no way she could have been brought to the prison earlier,” Superintendent Latif clarified.

Superintendent Adamu Latif also rejected claims that Agradaa had been assaulted in custody, emphasising that such allegations are unfounded.

“All videos circulating on social media suggesting that she has been assaulted by some inmates are not true. Prison is a place where the rights of inmates are protected. No inmate has the right to hit another,” he added.

He confirmed that Agradaa is currently at Nsawam Prisons and noted that her continued stay there would be subject to periodic assessments based on security and classification standards.

“She is currently at Nsawam Prisons, we will continue to assess the situation to determine whether she will remain there, based on our findings", he added.

Nana Agradaa was sentenced to 15 years in prison with hard labour by an Accra Circuit Court after being found guilty on one count of charlatanic advertisement and five counts of defrauding by false pretence.

The conviction stems from a 2022 broadcast on her Today TV channel and social media, during which she claimed to possess spiritual powers to “double money” for anyone who brought cash offerings to her church, the Heaven Way Champion International Ministry located at Weija in Accra.

According to court documents, she promised attendees of an all-night service held on October 7, 2022, that she would distribute GH¢300,000 to support their businesses and rent payments.

Victims, many of whom travelled from across the country, handed over large sums of money, only for the promised “multiplication” never to occur.

Investigations revealed that Agradaa carried out the fraudulent scheme in concert with unnamed accomplices.

At least six formal complaints were lodged with the police, although prosecutors believe over a thousand people may have been affected.

Before sentencing, the court ordered a mandatory pregnancy test in accordance with Ghanaian legal procedures for female convicts.

The test confirmed she was not pregnant, allowing the sentencing to proceed.

Agradaa’s legal team has since filed an appeal challenging the court’s decision and the 15-year sentence.

JKB/EB

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