Jailed Agradaa to open defence in nude photo case as court rejects "No Case" plea

The High Court has ruled that Patricia Asiedua Asiamah, popularly known as Nana Agradaa, must open her defence in a case where she's accused of sharing explicit images of Prophet Emmanuel Appiah Fomum.

Justice Mary Ekue Yanzuh dismissed a “no case” submission from Agradaa’s legal team, insisting the evidence presented by prosecutors warrants a response from the accused.Justice Mary Ekue Yanzuh dismissed a “no case” submission from Agradaa’s legal team, insisting the evidence presented by prosecutors warrants a response from the accused.

Agradaa, who was absent during the ruling, will now be compelled to appear in court at the next sitting. Her lawyer, Richard Baffour, had pleaded for the ruling to be delivered in her presence, but the judge proceeded regardless.

The court also instructed prison officials to ensure she is physically present at the upcoming hearing, scheduled for July 30, and directed her legal team to file all witness statements before that date.

Agradaa, a controversial figure who transitioned from fetish priestess to televangelist, faces one charge of possessing obscene material and three counts of non-consensual distribution of intimate images.

According to prosecutors, in 2021, she aired nude photos of Prophet Fomum on Thunder TV (now Today’s TV)—even going so far as to design a fake herbal bitters label using his image. Prosecutors further allege the images were displayed during a programme in which other accused persons, Enoch Owusu Kissi, Charles Omane, and Emmanuel Kofi Gyasi, made degrading remarks about the prophet.

The prosecution claims Agradaa also instructed a staff member to share the photos during the broadcast.

This latest case comes on the heels of her 15-year sentence by an Accra Circuit Court on July 3, after she was found guilty of charlatanic advertising and defrauding by false pretence.