A Circuit Court in Accra has convicted Patience Asiedua, popularly known as Nana Agradaa, after pleading guilty in court.

Nana Agradaa was charged for operating a TV station without licence contrary to section 110 of the Electronic transaction Act 2008, Act 772 and charlatanic advertisement (Sika Gari) contrary to section 137 of the criminal offences Act, 1960.

She had earlier pleaded not guilty to the charges but changed her plea in court on Wednesday, 16 June 2021.

She was, therefore, convicted on her own plea and was sentenced to a fine of 3,000 penalty units (GHS36,000) on count one, to wit, operating a TV station without a licence.

In default, she is to serve a three-year jail term in hard labour.

For the offence of charlatanic advertisement (Sika Gari), the court sentenced her to a fine of GHS10, 000 in default, she will serve a year in prison.

The court said, the sentences are to be served concurrently, which means she will pay the highest fine, which is GHS36, 000.

State security personnel arrested Nana Agradaa in April.

Two television stations, ‘Thunder TV’ and ‘Ice 1 TV’, both belonging to her, were shut down.

Nana Agradaa’s Kasoa-based stations were closed down and their equipment seized for operating without the necessary authorisation from the National Communication Authority (NCA).

This action formed part of moves by the state crackdown on a list of TV stations engaged in swindling and money-doubling rituals.

Nana Agradaa used her TV stations to openly advertise her money-doubling (Sika Gari) ritual schemes.