Ghana’s Deputy Attorney General, Alfred Tuah-Yeboah, has announced the commencement of legal action to repatriate Sedina Tamakloe Attionu, former CEO of MASLOC (Microfinance and Small Loans Centre), back to Ghana for trial.
Sedina Tamakloe Attionu, currently residing abroad due to reported medical reasons, has been sentenced in absentia to ten years in prison with hard labor.
The Deputy Attorney General confirmed that extradition proceedings for Attionu are underway, highlighting that the recent court decision will facilitate the legal process.
Addressing the media after the verdict on April 16, 2024, Tuah-Yeboah stated,”We started the process, and with the judgment that is going to speed up the process. Ghana, we have various laws, you can stay away….rest assured that she will be brought down to face judgment.”
Alongside former MASLOC Chief Operating Officer Daniel Axim, she received a sentence of five years with hard labor.
Both individuals were convicted on 78 charges, including causing financial loss to the state, theft, conspiracy to steal, money laundering, and violating public procurement laws.
The trial of both defendants has been ongoing since 2019.
As reported by citinewsroom.com, the state presented six witnesses. Sedina Tamakloe was tried in absentia after she left the country for a medical examination, having obtained permission from the Accra High Court.
Background:
The prosecution alleged that the defendants misappropriated GH¢3.19 million during their time at MASLOC, causing a deliberate financial loss of GH¢1.97 million to the state. They were also accused of unauthorized commitments, resulting in GH¢61.74 million in financial obligations for the government.
Furthermore, the charges included GH¢22.15 million in public property loss, improper payment of GH¢273,743, and laundering GH¢3.7 million.
In a significant turn, the court approved the prosecution’s request to proceed with Attionu’s trial in absentia on February 24, 2023. This decision followed Attionu’s permission to travel to the United States for medical treatment in 2021, from which she did not return.
Before the trial in absentia, on January 24, 2023, the court directed former Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) CEO Alex Mould and actor Gavivina Tamakloe to post a GH¢5 million bail bond to the state due to their failure to produce Attionu, for whom they had acted as sureties.
According to the prosecution, in 2017, the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) investigated fraudulent disbursements of MASLOC funds involving Attionu and Axim.
The investigations revealed that in June 2014, MASLOC invested GH¢150,000 in Obaatanpa Micro-Finance Company Limited, a licensed Tier II microfinance company in Ejura, Ashanti Region.
Attionu later offered an additional GH¢500,000 investment to Obaatanpa, resulting in MASLOC issuing a GH¢500,000 Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) cheque to Obaatanpa on July 24, 2014.
Upon receiving the cheque, Attionu allegedly demanded a 24% interest rate from Obaatanpa. When Obaatanpa declined, Attionu requested a cash refund. Obaatanpa complied, returning GH¢500,000 in cash to Attionu on August 28, 2014.
Despite acknowledging the refunded amount in a letter dated August 28, 2014, investigations found no record of repayment in MASLOC’s records. Allegations suggested Attionu had appropriated the GH¢500,000 for personal use.
Furthermore, in 2015, MASLOC demanded interest payments on the principal investment from Obaatanpa despite the previous refund. Subsequent investigations revealed discrepancies, indicating Attionu’s misappropriation of funds.