Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu is the former MASLOC boss
Private legal practitioner, Richard Nii Armah, has suggested that the arrest and detention of former MASLOC boss Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu by United States officials does not guarantee her immediate return to Ghana.
Despite being prosecuted and sentenced in absentia, her extradition may face significant legal hurdles.
Armah explained that if Tamakloe-Attionu has the financial resources, she will likely hire a strong legal team to litigate and prolong the process.
He noted that such cases can often drag on for years in the international court system.
According to him, the only way the process would be expedited is if she admits to wrongdoing in open court, an unlikely scenario if she intends to fight extradition.
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Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu, the former CEO of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment with hard labour after being found guilty on 78 counts, including causing financial loss to the state, theft, conspiracy to steal, money laundering, and breaches of public procurement laws.
Her trial, which began in 2019 and featured six prosecution witnesses, was conducted in absentia after she absconded while on approved medical leave abroad.
Although she is currently in U.S. custody, Armah cautioned that Ghanaians should not expect a swift conclusion.
Speaking on Rainbow Radio, he compared her situation to that of former finance minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.
“The case involving Tamakloe-Attionu is different from that of Ken Ofori-Atta. She has been prosecuted, tried, and sentenced after being found guilty, and so the moment she arrives in Ghana, she will be arrested and sent straight to Nsawam to serve her term. However, it is not going to be an easy ride. With enough resources, she can hire the best lawyers to fight her extradition. This could take years. The arrest of Ofori-Atta by ICE will make it easier for him to be deported to Ghana than having to use the extradition processes to bring Tamakloe-Attionu back,” the lawyer said.
Armah further suggested that many political leaders evade justice because they fear the “terrible conditions” of Ghanaian prisons.
He concluded with a reflection on accountability in public office: “Prison is our second home. The woman in question was a former MASLOC boss who used her resources to travel abroad while evading justice, but today she has been arrested and detained and could be extradited to serve her term in the prison she was running away from. That is why it is important not to abuse public office with the hope of escaping justice. I am not happy she is going to prison, nor am I happy that Ken is facing these challenges. What I am happy about is that Ghanaians will now learn from what is happening—especially those in public office—not to steal, since that could send you to jail.”
