US-based law Professor, Kwaku Asare, popularly known as Kwaku Azar, has sharply criticised the High Court (Appellate Division) for drastically reducing the 15-year prison sentence of Patricia Asiedua Asiamah, also known as Nana Agradaa, arguing that the decision trivialises organised, faith-based fraud.
Writing on his Facebook page, Prof Azar warned that the appellate court’s description of the sentence as “killing a mosquito with a sledgehammer” misunderstood the nature of Agradaa’s offences.
“Agradaa is not a mosquito. This was deliberate, organised fraud targeting vulnerable people, and the trial judge did not use a sledgehammer,” Azar said.
He stressed that the trial court had convicted her lawfully and fairly on three counts, including two counts of defrauding by false pretence and one for charlatanic advertising.
Prof Azar argued that the appellate judge had applied the wrong standard, substituting personal preference for proper judicial review.
“The appellate court reweighed permissible factors and reached a different sense of proportionality. Disagreement is not illegality, but preference is not the proper appellate standard,” he said.
According to Prof Azar, Agradaa’s crimes went far beyond petty theft. She deliberately targeted vulnerable followers under the guise of religion, promising to distribute ?300,000 at an all-night church service, but instead collecting money under false pretences.
She promoted her schemes widely on television and social media, showing bundles of cash and offering business support or rent assistance that never materialized.
Congregants were induced to pay amounts ranging from ?500 to ?1,000 in exchange for the promised “multiplication,” but only insiders ever received anything. When some followers demanded refunds, thugs were allegedly called in to intimidate them.
Prof Azar also emphasized that Agradaa was a repeat offender, having been previously convicted in 2021 for similar conduct, and showed no remorse.
He criticised the appellate court for overlooking the seriousness of her actions, noting that the harm extended beyond the money lost: it eroded public trust, exploited faith, and normalized religious scams. “This is not a mosquito; it is a termite in the foundations of social trust,” he said.
The legal scholar further argued that sentencing should reflect not just the arithmetic of cash involved, but the nature of the crime, the offender, the vulnerability of victims, and broader societal impact. He insisted that the trial court was justified in imposing a long sentence to deter others from weaponising religion for personal gain.
Concluding his critique, Azar warned that while debates on proportionality are normal, the appellate ruling understates the gravity of organized, repeat, faith-based fraud and risks sending the wrong message to society.
“Fraud wearing a cassock is not small fraud. The appellate court’s ruling risks trivializing serious, deliberate exploitation of the vulnerable,” he added.
For more news, join The Chronicle Newspaper channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBSs55E50UqNPvSOm2z
The post Agradaa Ruling Undermines Deterrence -Says KwakuAzar appeared first on The Ghanaian Chronicle.
Read Full Story
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram
Google+
YouTube
LinkedIn
RSS