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Former Chief Executive Officer of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu, is scheduled to appear before a judge in the United States on January 21 to determine whether she will be extradited to Ghana.
Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States, Victor Smith, disclosed the development during an interview on Citi Eyewitness News on Friday, January 16.
According to Ambassador Smith, the US Marshals have so far prevented the Ghanaian government and embassy officials from visiting Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu, though the reasons for this restriction remain unclear.
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“In this particular case in America, she was arrested by the US Marshals. For now, they are not allowing us to visit, but she has to go to court. My information is that there was an extradition request by the Ghana government back in 2024 from the Attorney General’s department.
“Once they were ready to effect the request, they went for her. She is being kept until she sees the judge on the 21st of this month, and the judge will decide. If she has good reasons why she must not be extradited, her legal representation will make that submission to the judge,” he explained.
He added that the upcoming court appearance is a critical step in the extradition process, noting that Tamakloe-Attionu’s legal team will have the opportunity to present any arguments against her transfer to Ghana.
Tamakloe-Attionu was detained by the Nevada Southern Detention Centre in the United States on January 7 following an extradition request by the Ghana government back in 2024.
Background
Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu was sentenced in absentia in April 2024 to 10 years’ imprisonment with hard labour by an Accra High Court, following her conviction on 78 counts. The charges included causing financial loss to the state, stealing, conspiracy to steal, money laundering, and breaches of the Public Procurement Act.
Her co-accused, former MASLOC Chief Operating Officer Daniel Axim, was also convicted and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment with hard labour.
The offences, committed between 2013 and 2016, involved the misappropriation of funds meant for MASLOC operations. The trial, which began in 2019, included six prosecution witnesses. Tamakloe-Attionu was tried in absentia after failing to return to Ghana while on permission to seek medical treatment abroad, whereas Daniel Axim appeared and testified in court.
Among the court findings was the withdrawal of GH¢500,000 as a loan to Obaatampa Savings and Loans Company, funds that were later refunded but improperly recorded. Additionally, over GH¢1.7 million intended for a sensitisation exercise and GH¢1.4 million earmarked for victims of the Kantamanso fire disaster were misappropriated.
The case also revealed inflated procurement costs for vehicles and Samsung mobile phones, with payments exceeding market prices despite bulk purchases.
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