Former MASLOC CEO set for extradition as Ghana teams up with U.S. authorities

The government, through the Office of the Attorney General, says it is working assiduously to extradite the former Chief Executive Officer of MASLOC, Sedinam Tamakloe Attionu, who is expected to serve her 10-year jail sentence.

The Deputy Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Alfred Tuah-Yeboah, confirmed that the former MASLOC boss has been residing in the United States of America despite the court's sentence.

He mentioned that the US authorities and the government of Ghana are working closely to facilitate Sedinam Attionu’s return to Ghana to face justice.

“She was convicted by the court in Ghana some time ago, and after the conviction, I made it known to the media that we were going to take steps to have her extradited to Ghana. We started taking those steps in collaboration with our international partners, and we know where she is. Very soon, she may be extradited to Ghana.

“The issue of going through the process is necessary, and we are filing all the documentation. If everything goes through, she will definitely come back to Ghana to begin her sentence. She is in the United States of America," Alfred Tuah-Yeboah told Accra-based Citi FM.

He continued to say that “When it comes to extradition processes, for example, you have to go through the court processes to get a court order. What we are supposed to do is furnish the US authorities with whatever we have and wait for them to finish the processes. She will then be brought back to Ghana."

On April 16, 2024, a High Court in Accra sentenced the former Chief Executive Officer of MASLOC, Sedinam Tamakloe Attionu, to 10 years in prison with hard labor for causing a financial loss of GH¢90 million to the state.

Subsequently, Daniel Axim, who is also a former Chief Operating Officer of MASLOC, was sentenced to five years in prison with hard labor.

The two were found guilty on 78 counts of causing financial loss to the state, stealing, conspiracy to steal, money laundering, and causing loss to public property in contravention of public procurement law.

The case first began in 2019, and the two accused persons have been on trial since then.

Background

The prosecution alleged that the defendants embezzled GH¢3.19 million during their tenure at MASLOC and caused a deliberate financial loss of GH¢1.97 million to the state. Additionally, they were accused of making unauthorized commitments, resulting in financial obligations totalling GH¢61.74 million for the government.

Furthermore, the charges included GH¢22.15 million in public property loss, improper payment of GH¢273,743, and laundering of GH¢3.7 million.

In a significant development, the court granted the prosecution's request to proceed with the trial in Attionu's absence on February 24, 2023. This decision came after Attionu was permitted to travel to the United States in 2021 for medical treatment but failed to return.

Prior to the trial in absentia, on January 24, 2023, the court ordered former Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) CEO Alex Mould and actor Gavivina Tamakloe to pay a GH¢5 million bail bond to the state due to their inability to produce Attionu, for whom they acted as sureties.

According to the prosecution's account, in 2017, the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) investigated fraudulent disbursements of MASLOC funds involving Attionu and Axim.

The investigations revealed that in June 2014, MASLOC invested GH¢150,000 in Obaatanpa Micro-Finance Company Limited, a licensed Tier II microfinance company in Ejura, Ashanti Region.

Attionu subsequently offered an additional GH¢500,000 investment to Obaatanpa, leading to the issuance of a MASLOC Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) cheque worth GH¢500,000 to Obaatanpa on July 24, 2014.

Upon receipt of the cheque, Attionu allegedly demanded a 24% interest rate from Obaatanpa. When Obaatanpa refused, Attionu demanded a cash refund. Obaatanpa obliged, returning GH¢500,000 in cash to Attionu on August 28, 2014.

Despite acknowledging receipt of the refunded sum in a letter dated August 28, 2014, investigations revealed that MASLOC had no record of the repayment. It was alleged that Attionu appropriated the GH¢500,000 for personal use.

MA/AE

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