Former Chief Executive Officer of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Sedina Tamakloe Attionu, is set to be released from jail after the Court of Appeal acquitted and discharged her on Thursday, July 30.

The decision was delivered by a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal in Accra, comprising Justices Emmanuel Ankamah, Emmanuel Senyo Amedahe and Samuel Obeng-Diawuo.

The court held that the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt, ruling that the evidence presented was insufficient to establish the alleged offences.

Madam Tamakloe Attionu was facing multiple charges, including causing financial loss to the state, theft, unauthorised commitments resulting in financial obligations for the government, and money laundering.

She was tried alongside former MASLOC Board Chairman Daniel Axim, who also faced charges related to the institution's operations.

The prosecution alleged that between 2013 and 2016, during Madam Tamakloe Attionu's tenure as CEO, MASLOC funds were misapplied through various transactions, resulting in financial loss to the state.

Background

In 2017, the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) launched an investigation into MASLOC's operations under Madam Tamakloe Attionu's leadership. The investigation uncovered alleged financial irregularities and embezzlement involving officials of the institution.

Findings

EOCO alleged that its investigations uncovered fraudulent disbursements of MASLOC funds, inflated procurement of vehicles and mobile phones without approval from the Public Procurement Authority, misappropriation of funds intended for victims of the 2013 Kantamanto Market fire, and questionable ex gratia payments made to Madam Tamakloe Attionu and her deputy.

Consequently, in January 2019, she was arraigned before the High Court on 78 counts, including stealing, conspiracy to steal, causing financial loss to the state, money laundering and procurement breaches.

After about two years of legal proceedings, she sought and obtained permission to travel to the United States for medical treatment. However, she failed to return to Ghana to continue participating in the trial and was subsequently tried in absentia.

In 2024, the Accra High Court sentenced Madam Tamakloe Attionu to 10 years' imprisonment in absentia after finding her guilty of multiple offences, including causing financial loss to the state and theft. The court held that her actions as MASLOC Chief Executive between 2013 and 2016 resulted in a financial loss of nearly GH¢90 million to the state.

Following her conviction, Ghanaian authorities intensified efforts to secure her return, with the government formally requesting her extradition from the United States in 2025.

A United States District Court in Nevada subsequently considered the extradition request and, after reviewing the application and supporting legal documentation submitted by Ghanaian authorities, certified the request, paving the way for her return to Ghana.

Tamakloe arrives in Ghana

In a Facebook post, the Minister of State in charge of Government Communications and Presidential Spokesperson, Felix Kwakye Fosu, indicated that Sedinam has returned to Ghana from the USA, two years and two months after the Accra High Court sentenced her to 10 years in prison for over 70 corruption-related charges. The charges include the alleged embezzlement of more than $6 million in public funds.

He noted that she arrived at the Accra International Airport at approximately 7:18 a.m. on Tuesday, June 9, aboard United Airlines flight UA 996 from Washington Dulles International Airport in the United States.

"In April, 2024, the High Court convicted and sentenced SEDINA TAMAKLOE-ATTIONU in absentia. In July 2024, the Government of Ghana submitted an extradition request to the United States for her surrender to Ghana to serve her sentence. After over two years of court proceedings, the United States authorities notified the Government of her surrender in January this year. She arrived in Accra on Tuesday, June 9, 2026.

"Officials of the Ghana Police Service and the Ghana Prisons Service have taken her into custody and are making the necessary preparations for her to begin her sentence. Meanwhile, the Attorney-General is scheduled to meet his counterparts at the United States Department of Justice for a bilateral discussion on all pending extradition requests between the two countries", Kwakye Fosu said in the post.

The U.S Embassy in Ghana confirmed the extradition of Sedina Tamakloe Attionu on Tuesday, June 9, in a Facebook post.

“Justice has no borders. The United States has extradited Sedina Tamakloe Attionu to Ghana, following her conviction on 70+ corruption-related charges, including embezzling more than $6M equivalent in Ghanaian taxpayer funds. This is our strong U.S.-Ghana law enforcement partnership in action, demonstrating a shared commitment to accountability and the first extradition from the United States to Ghana since 2009”, the US Embassy indicated.

Upon her arrival, she was received by security personnel and immediately taken into custody for debriefing and medical examinations as part of standard procedures before being transferred to begin serving her sentence.

Her return follows a protracted extradition process initiated by the Government of Ghana after she failed to return to the country following a medical trip to the United States.

Meanwhile, Sedinam’s deputy was tried alongside his boss but received a lighter sentence of 5 years, with main charges tied to conspiracy and abetting, thus aiding his boss to conduct fraudulent schemes.