Lawyer Dismisses Claims That Agradaa Imprisonment Will Affect Her Ministry
- Richard Asare Baffour, lawyer for Evangelist Mama Pat, has dismissed suggestions that his client’s jail term will impact her ministry
- According to him, Mama Pat was not the first Christian personality to serve a jail term; numerous godly men were imprisoned at some point in their lives
- He said that the primary focus should be on the lessons learned from his client’s experience with the law, rather than the labels attached to her
Lawyer Richard Asare Baffour, counsel for self-styled evangelist Patricia Asiedua, popularly known as Agradaa or Evangelist Mama Pat, has dismissed claims that her imprisonment will affect her work as a preacher.
According to him, prison, as a correctional institution, is established to serve everyone and not a particular group of people. He said this while addressing concerns about whether his client’s imprisonment could affect her role as an evangelist.
Source: UGC
Drawing inspiration from prominent figures in the Bible who were imprisoned at some point in their lives, he noted that the focus should not be on Mama Pat’s imprisonment, but rather on the lessons learned from the experience. He said:
“There are many examples of people in the Bible who went to jail, yet it did not change their calling. So she is not the first person to be imprisoned.
There are also many prominent figures in Ghana and beyond who have been jailed at some point in their lives.”
“Prison is for all of us. The lessons we draw from it are what matter most. Today it is Mama Pat; tomorrow it could be you. If you don’t order your steps well, you may also end up there.”
Source: UGC
“The prison gate is not closed; it is there for all of us. It is the lessons learned from the experience that are the most important.”
Evangelist Mama Pat was imprisoned after she was convicted by an Accra Circuit Court on charges of defrauding by false pretence and engaging in charlatanic advertisement.
She was found guilty of promoting a 'money-doubling' scheme during a church service in 2022.
Watch the Facebook video here:
Reactions to Agradaa's lawyer's views on ministry
Scores of people have taken to social media to react to the statement of lawyer Richard Asare Baffour. YEN.com.gh compiled a list of the comments below.
George Markwei commented:
"Counsel Richard. Great to see you in another professional outlook."
Ubaid Legacy noted:
"I wonder how this lawyer won the case when he can't differentiate between he and she."
John Kwame said:
"The poor will continue to suffer, and the rich will continue to cheat the poor."
Court reduces Agradaa's jail term
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that the Amasaman High Court had delivered its ruling on embattled evangelist Patricia Asiedua, popularly known as Evangelist Mama Pat.
According to reports, the court revised an earlier 15-year sentence handed down to her, reducing it to a one-year term.
The court, per reports, described the original 15-year hard labour sentence as harsh and excessive, therefore exercising its discretion to vary the punishment
Proofreading by Samuel Gitonga, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
