Deputy Attorney General Alfred Tuah-Yeboah is reported to have announced that the government has successfully located Sedinam Attionu Tamaklo, the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC).
Despite being sentenced to 10 years in prison with hard labor, Tamaklo fled the country and is currently residing abroad.
Mr. Tuah-Yeboah is said to have revealed that the government is collaborating with partners in the United States to facilitate Tamaklo’s return to Ghana in an interview with Kumasi-based Sompa FM.
“Sedinam Attionu Tamaklo, who served as the MASLOC boss under the NDC administration, was involved in theft. It is shocking that she engaged in such activities. The judge sentenced her accountant to five years in prison for assisting her,” Mr. Tuah-Yeboah is quoted to have stated.
“Before the case concluded, she moved from the US to London and then back to the US. She is currently unable to leave the US. We have filed all necessary documents and she will be extradited soon. We monitor her movements daily and once she is back in Ghana, her jail term will commence from that day. Her sentence serves as a lesson for public officials to work diligently,” he reportedly added.
An Accra High Court has issued an arrest warrant for Sedina Christine Attionu Tamakloe. This action followed an ex-parte motion filed by State Prosecutors. Assistant State Attorney Yvonne Yaache-Adomako, who addressed the court on April 22, 2024, stated that Tamakloe was convicted on all 78 counts against her.
“I have before you a motion ex-parte for an arrest warrant to be issued for the arrest of the 2nd respondent convict (Sedina Tamakloe),” Ms. Yaache-Adomako said. She emphasized that sufficient grounds for the warrant had been demonstrated through facts and attached exhibits. The court, presided over by Justice Lydia Osei Marfo, granted the motion as requested.
Madam Tamakloe has been sentenced to 10 years in prison, while Daniel Axim, the former Chief Operating Officer of MASLOC, received a 5-year sentence. Both were found guilty on charges including causing financial loss to the state, theft, conspiracy to steal, money laundering, and contravening public procurement laws.
The convictions are linked to the misappropriation of funds allocated for MASLOC activities between 2013 and 2016. Notably, the accused withdrew GH₵500,000 as a loan from Obaatampa Savings and Loans company and demanded a refund when the company refused to offer a 24% interest rate. Despite evidence of the refund, it was not reflected in MASLOC’s accounts.
Additionally, the pair misappropriated over GH¢1.7 million intended for a sensitization exercise, with only a small portion used as planned. Funds designated for victims of a fire incident at Kantamanso were also misappropriated, and there were discrepancies in the purchase of vehicles and Samsung phones for MASLOC.
Madam Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu was tried in absentia after absconding abroad under the pretext of a medical check-up. Daniel Axim testified in person but did not present any witnesses.
Deputy Attorney General Alfred Tuah-Yeboah reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring Tamaklo’s return to Ghana to serve her sentence, highlighting the ongoing efforts to extradite her.