Just weeks after walking out of custody, Evangelist Patricia Asiamah, popularly called Nana Agradaa, is pushing back against the idea that prison reforms offenders, arguing instead that it toughens them.
Addressing congregants at her Heaven Way Champion International Ministry on March 29, 2026, the evangelist reflected on her time behind bars, insisting the experience did not transform her in the way many assume.
She said the moment she was first handed a 15-year sentence felt like everything had come to an abrupt end. According to her, the shock of the ruling left her with little to say when she stepped out of the courtroom and faced the media, beyond a simple request for prayers.
“Prison doesn’t change a person, it only increases your boldness. I said ‘tawfiakwa’ when the judge sentenced me to 15 years in prison. When bloggers asked me, ‘Mama Pat, what do you have to say about your sentencing?’ I only told them to pray for me,” Nana Agradaa stated.
Agradaa regained her freedom on March 3, 2026, after spending nine months in custody, in line with Ghana’s remission policy, which allows inmates to serve a reduced portion of their sentence for good behaviour.
Her legal troubles began on July 3, 2025, when an Accra Circuit Court convicted her on several counts linked to a money-doubling scheme she promoted during church services at her Weija-based ministry. Prosecutors said she collected money from congregants with promises of multiplying it, assurances that never materialised and led to multiple complaints.
Although she was initially handed a 15-year custodial sentence for defrauding by false pretence and charlatanic advertisement, the punishment was later reconsidered.
On February 5, 2026, the Amasaman High Court upheld her conviction but ruled that the sentence was excessive. It reduced the term to 12 months and added a fine of 200 penalty units, valued at about GH¢2,400.
Below is a video of her statement.
“Prison doesn’t change a person; it only increases your boldness. I said ‘tawfiakwa’ when the judge sentenced me to 15 years in prison.” – Nana Agradaa pic.twitter.com/sfWfLEKFZE
— EDHUB🌍ℹ (@eddie_wrt) March 30, 2026
