The Amasaman High Court has reduced the 15-year prison sentence imposed on controversial evangelist Nana Agradaa to 12 calendar months, describing the original punishment as harsh and excessive under the circumstances of the case.
In its ruling, the court upheld Nana Agradaa’s conviction but exercised its discretionary powers to vary the sentence, cutting it down from the 15 years’ imprisonment with hard labour earlier imposed by the trial court. The judge held that while the offence warranted custodial punishment, the severity of the original sentence was disproportionate.
The revised sentence takes effect from July 3, 2025, the date of her conviction, meaning Nana Agradaa will serve a total of 12 months in prison.
The court emphasised that sentencing must be guided not only by the seriousness of the offence but also by the principle of proportionality. In this case, it ruled that the original custodial term went beyond what was reasonable in relation to the offence, despite the conviction being sound in law.
Nana Agradaa, a former fetish priestess who later rebranded herself as a Christian evangelist, was convicted earlier this year and handed a 15-year sentence, a decision that sparked widespread public debate.
Legal practitioners and members of the public had raised concerns about the severity of the punishment, prompting discussions on sentencing standards and judicial discretion in similar cases.
Source: 3news
