Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu did not run away as its purported - Bernard Bediako

Member of Parliament for Akwatia and private legal practitioner Bernard Bediako has defended former Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) Chief Executive Officer, Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu, insisting that she did not flee the country as widely alleged but travelled abroad for medical treatment with the permission of the court.

Speaking on TV3 on June 11, 2026, Bernard Bediako dismissed suggestions that President John Dramani Mahama could eventually grant clemency to Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu while she serves her sentence, stating that there is no indication such a move is being considered.

“I’m not too sure where this is coming from, and I would not join in speaking about it. I don’t have any evidence to suggest that there is even such a position being contemplated by His Excellency. Not at all. I don’t think so,” he noted.

Providing details about the former MASLOC boss's court appearances, Bediako noted that Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu consistently attended proceedings for about three years after charges were first brought against her.

Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu deserves a hearing – Bernard Bediako asserts

“She was charged sometime on January 30, 2019, Up until January 10, 2022, she was always present in court. January 10, 2022, was the first time she was absent. So, between January 30, 2019, and January 10, 2022, she consistently appeared before the court. That point must also be made. The case ran from 2019 to 2024. It was only in 2022 that she stopped appearing in court,” he explained.

According to him, claims that Tamakloe-Attionu absconded are inaccurate because she had obtained the court's approval before leaving Ghana.

“She had been granted bail and sought leave of the court to travel outside the country. She did not run away, and that point must also be made clear. She travelled for medical reasons, and the court granted her permission to do so.”

The private legal practitioner explained that complications arose after her departure when the court sought additional information regarding her medical condition and treatment abroad.

“After she left, we do not know exactly what happened during that period or how much time she needed for treatment. At some point, the court did not have sufficient information and requested her lawyers to provide details about her medical condition.

“Her lawyers were unable to provide precise information regarding the issues. Consequently, the State, through the Attorney General, requested that she be tried in absentia, and the court granted that request,” he noted.

He stressed that the legal procedures followed by the prosecution and the court were within the law and should not be viewed as irregular.

“These are all legally accepted procedures, and there is nothing improper about them. She was therefore tried in absentia. However, let me also state that being tried in absentia does not mean your lawyers cannot be present,” he said.

Bediako further clarified that the issue of Tamakloe-Attionu not being heard by the court stemmed from her absence at the stage when she was required to present her defence.

“The only challenge arose after the State had completed its case and the court had to determine whether there was a case for her to answer. Her lawyers were of the view that the State had not successfully proved its case, but the court disagreed.

“As a result, she was called upon to open her defense, but she was not available. That is why we say she was not heard. Not because the court denied her the opportunity, but because she was unavailable to be heard,” he added.

Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu was convicted in absentia by the Accra High Court in April 2024 on charges including causing financial loss to the state, stealing, money laundering and procurement-related offences.

However, she has initiated an appeal process seeking to overturn both the conviction and the sentence imposed by the High Court.

In a written submission filed at the Court of Appeal on February 10, 2026, her legal team argued that the charges brought against her were defective and lacked sufficient particulars to properly establish the offences alleged by the prosecution.

The appeal challenges her convictions on multiple counts, including conspiracy to steal, stealing, causing financial loss to the state, causing loss to public property, improper payment of public funds, unauthorised commitment resulting in financial obligation to government, money laundering and breaches of the Public Procurement Act.

There is a pending appeal in former MASLOC CEO Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu's case. She did not run away as purported, as she was granted leave by the court. - Bernard Bediako, Private Legal Practitioner/MP, Akwatia#TV3NewDay #TV3GH pic.twitter.com/9YGjWR5tvn

— #TV3GH (@tv3_ghana) June 11, 2026

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