The 15-year sentence handed to Evangelist Patricia Asiedua Asiamah, widely known as Nana Agradaa or Mama Pat, left her reeling, she says, struggling to grasp how her life had shifted so abruptly.
Speaking in a video released by the Ghana Prison Service, she revisited the hours after the ruling and the anxiety that followed her transfer into custody. Stepping through the prison gates, she recalled, was a moment filled with fear and uncertainty.
“On my way to prison, I honestly thought I was going to die. When I got to the gate, I prayed and handed myself over to God because I had no idea what awaited me inside. I just held my Bible and walked in,” she disclosed.
She said the weight of the trial court’s decision did not immediately register. Being told she would serve 15 years with hard labour felt distant and unreal, as though it could not possibly apply to her.
“When I was sentenced to 15 years, I never believed I would actually spend that long in jail. I kept asking myself what wrong I had done, so I couldn’t accept that fate. At that point, I believed the only things that could help me were prayers and the word of God,” she added.
Her conviction dates back to July 3, 2025, when an Accra Circuit Court found her guilty on charges including charlatanic advertisement and defrauding by false pretence. The prosecution maintained that she promoted a money-doubling scheme during services at Heaven Way Champion International Ministry in Weija in the Greater Accra Region.
According to the case presented in court, congregants were promised extraordinary financial returns in exchange for monetary offerings during a widely broadcast service. Those returns never came, prosecutors said, leading several participants to file complaints.
The matter later went before the High Court on February 5, 2026. While the court upheld the conviction, it determined that the initial punishment was disproportionate and revised the sentence.
Ghana’s remission framework allows inmates who maintain good conduct to be released after serving two-thirds of their term. After the adjustment to her sentence, Nana Agradaa qualified under that provision and was freed on March 3, 2026, having completed the required portion of her time in custody.
