The Court of Appeal has acquitted and discharged former Chief Executive Officer of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu, overturning her earlier conviction and 10-year prison sentence.
In its judgment delivered on Thursday, the appellate court held that the prosecution failed to prove its case against the former MASLOC boss beyond reasonable doubt, effectively setting aside the convictions entered against her by the High Court.
The ruling follows an appeal filed by Ms Tamakloe-Attionu challenging both her conviction and the propriety of her trial and sentencing in absentia.
Her legal team had argued that the charges against her were fundamentally defective and that the prosecution had failed to establish the offences beyond reasonable doubt.
Ms Tamakloe-Attionu had been extradited from the United States and returned to Ghana on June 9, 2026, before beginning a 10-year prison sentence at the Nsawam Medium Security Female Prison on June 24, 2026.
She had earlier travelled to the United States in 2021 with the permission of the High Court to seek medical treatment while her trial was ongoing but did not return.
In 2024, an Accra High Court found her guilty of multiple offences, including causing financial loss to the state and stealing, in connection with the alleged misappropriation and diversion of state resources during her tenure as MASLOC Chief Executive.
However, the Court of Appeal has now overturned that decision, ruling that the prosecution failed to establish its case to the required criminal standard.
Myjoyonline
