Former Microfinance and Small Loans Centre Chief Executive Officer Sedinam Tamakloe Attionu has been cleared for release after the Attorney General withdrew an application that sought to suspend the implementation of the Court of Appeal’s judgment acquitting and discharging her.
The Court of Appeal on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, struck out the application after the Attorney General formally withdrew it, thereby removing the immediate legal obstacle to the implementation of the appellate court’s decision.
Mrs Tamakloe Attionu served as Chief Executive Officer of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre, commonly known as MASLOC, from November 2013 until January 2017. During and after her tenure, she faced prosecution over a 78 count criminal case involving allegations of conspiracy to steal, stealing, causing financial loss to the State, money laundering, improper payment of public funds and violations of provisions of the Public Procurement Act.
The criminal proceedings eventually resulted in her conviction by the Accra High Court in April 2024. The court sentenced her to 10 years imprisonment in absentia after finding her guilty on the charges brought against her.
Mrs Tamakloe Attionu subsequently returned to Ghana in June 2026 following her extradition from the United States, where she had been residing. Upon her arrival, she was taken into custody to begin serving the sentence imposed by the High Court.
Her legal representatives subsequently challenged the conviction before the Court of Appeal, seeking to overturn the findings and sentence imposed by the trial court.
The Court of Appeal later delivered a decision that resulted in her acquittal and discharge, prompting the Attorney General to seek a stay of execution of the appellate judgment while the State considered further legal action.
The State has indicated that it intends to challenge the Court of Appeal’s decision before the Supreme Court. However, the withdrawal of the application seeking a stay means the appellate judgment can currently take effect, allowing Mrs Tamakloe Attionu to secure her release while the further legal process is pursued.
The latest development therefore represents a significant turn in a criminal case that has extended over several years and involved proceedings before multiple courts in Ghana.
With the stay application now withdrawn and struck out, the legal position arising from the Court of Appeal’s acquittal and discharge remains operative unless subsequently altered by the Supreme Court through any further proceedings initiated by the State.
The development also means that Mrs Tamakloe Attionu’s continued detention following her extradition and subsequent custody is no longer sustained by the conviction that was overturned on appeal, subject to any further lawful orders that may arise from the Supreme Court process.
