An Accra Circuit Court has sentenced a 35-year-old self-styled spiritualist, Nana Adwoa Yamoah, to three years’ imprisonment for defrauding a man of GH¢95,100.
Yamoah, who operated at Teshie in Accra, pleaded guilty to charges of defrauding by false pretences and practising without registration and a licence.
Prosecuting, Assistant Superintendent of Police Augustine Kingsley Oppong told the court, presided over by Dennis Eyram Fumey, that the complainant, Mr Douglas Abu, is unemployed and resides at Ntotroso in the Ashanti Region.
According to the prosecution, in 2025, a witness, Grace Fosua, introduced Abu to Yamoah as a spiritualist. Yamoah allegedly claimed she had links with the Asantehene and could facilitate Abu’s enstoolment as chief of Ntotroso.
Based on this representation, she collected various sums of money from Abu, assuring him that he would be installed as chief by January. She also took GH¢51,000 from him under the pretext of doubling the amount but failed to do so.
The court further heard that Yamoah convinced Abu to travel with her to Benin for supposed spiritual fortification at his own expense, an exercise that never took place.
Suspicious of her actions, Abu later demanded a refund, but Yamoah failed to return the money. The matter was subsequently reported to the police, leading to her arrest on March 9, 2026.
During investigations, Yamoah requested time to refund the money but failed to honour the promise. Investigations also revealed that she was not registered with the Traditional Medicine Practice Council and had used similar methods to defraud others.
The court convicted her on her own plea. Sentencing was initially deferred pending a pregnancy test, which returned negative, after which she was handed a three-year custodial sentence.
