Political Science lecturer at the University of Ghana, Dr Joshua Jebuntie Zaato, has criticised the Ghanaian government’s handling of extradition and international cooperation with the United States (US).
He accused the authorities of inconsistency and a lack of accountability in pursuing convicted persons who remain abroad.
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Speaking on TV3’s Key Points on Saturday, December 20, 2025, Dr Zaato noted that Ghana has already extradited some of its citizens to the US and has cooperated with American authorities, including the FBI, in ongoing investigations.
However, he questioned why the same urgency has not been applied to securing the return of Sedinam Tamakloe, a former government official who has been convicted by a Ghanaian court but remains outside the country.
“The government has extradited some Ghanaians already to the United States, and they were even working with the FBI to collect Shatta Wale’s car, which I don’t think they should collect. The point here is: why didn’t they make a request for the repatriation of Sedinam Tamakloe, who has actually been convicted of a crime?” he questioned.
Dr Zaato, also a policy analyst, stressed that Tamakloe’s case is fundamentally different because she has already been found guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction in Ghana, arguing that this should make her return a priority for the state.
“You have a woman there who has been convicted. In this case, you are not saying, ‘Bring her back so we can prosecute her.’ A court of competent jurisdiction has already found her guilty,” he said.
He further argued that Ghana should leverage its cooperation with the US as part of a reciprocal arrangement, suggesting that extradition requests should be tied to good-faith gestures on both sides.
According to him, Ghana could insist on a simultaneous exchange to ensure that convicted or wanted persons are returned to face justice at home.
“Now the Americans are saying, ‘Send us this man so we can prosecute him.’ Look, I think it should be a very easy, straightforward cut-off negotiation: ‘We’ve given you two people. Now also return one to show us good faith. The next person you want, put Sedinam on a flight in Washington, DC, and we will also put this man on a flight at Kotoka. They should land at the same time,’” he suggested.
He also linked the issue to other ongoing cases, urging Ghana to be more assertive in negotiations involving fugitives wanted by the US.
Calling on the Attorney General to be more transparent and decisive, Dr Zaato proposed a conditional approach to cooperation.
“The inability or unwillingness of this government to exercise that option smells of a certain level of cover-up or an unwillingness to bring that woman down. For me, it cuts to the core of everything that is happening. It looks like all of this is shenanigans, and it is upsetting because there is another person they are looking for, and he is Abu Trica,” he asserted.
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He added, “Why can’t the Attorney-General come out and say, ‘We will put Abu Trica online if and only if you also either send us Ken or Sedinam’? For the sake of accountability and sanctity, why can’t we trade him for one of these people?”
MAG/MA
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