An Accra Circuit Court has for the second time remanded into Police custody Patricia Asiedua, aka Nana Agradaa, Founder of Heavenway Champion International Ministries, who is being held over alleged money doubling scam.
The court presided over by Mr Samuel Bright Acquah said, “weighing the scale of balance” and that of public interest, it could not grant her bail.
According to the court, the accused person, when granted bail, could also pay off the complainants, who were vulnerable.
It, therefore, ordered the prosecution to put its house in order by fast-tracking its investigations as well as expediting the filing of disclosures for the trial to start.
The prosecution, led by Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Sylvester Asare, at today’s sitting prayed to the court for an extension of the accused person’s remand because the matter was still under investigation.
It said Agradaa when granted bail could hamper or interfere with investigations citing the accused person’s refusal to hand over video tapes at the “Today’s” TV Station, which had recordings of the alleged scam act.
The prosecution said the Police had written to the TV station operated by the accused, but the management of the Station held that they could only produce the tapes based on the accused person’s instructions.
“This alone should tell you that when the accused is granted bail she will interfere with the investigations.”
It said it was in the process of taking statements from over 30 complainants, adding that out of the seven counts that the accused was facing, six are felonies.
Mr Reindolph Twumasi Ankrah, lead counsel for Nana Agradaa, prayed the court to admit his client to bail, urging it not to consider charges of past deeds of Agradaa, adding that she was now a “born again” Christian.
Defence counsel said under the law, an accused person was presumed innocent until found guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction and that facts presented by the prosecution were all based on allegations, saying, the accused was ready to fight and clear her name.
He said the accused was ready to provide sureties of substance when granted bail adding: “Even if the court asks us to provide 10 sureties, we are ready to provide them.”
The Counsel said from the prosecution’s submission, it appeared it was now “fishing for information” hence the accused should be granted bail, stressing that the Agradaa had no intentions of absconding from the jurisdiction.
He said his client was a mother who had young girls and needed to be with them.
Nana Agradaa also known as Evangelist Mama Pat is facing six counts of defrauding by false pretences and a count of Charlatanic Advertisement in the media.
She has denied the charges.
The prosecution said on October 5, this year, that Agradaa had advertised on “Today’s” Television and other social media platforms that she could double money.
The prosecutor said the accused person in the said advertisement had asked the public to attend an all-night service at her church at Weija for the alleged money doubling.
It said the six complainants and other 1,000 persons attended the said all-night service and on the request of Agradaa, handed over huge sums of money to her, but she failed to double the money.
On October 9, this year, the accused person was picked up at the church premises amid a chaotic atmosphere.
Some of her congregants who thronged the court sang gospel tunes as the police whisked her away.
She will reappear in court on Monday, 17th October 2022