Court issues warrant for arrest of convicted Former MASLOC Boss
The Office of the Attorney General has initiated moves to have convicted former Chief Executive Officer of Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) under the erstwhile John Mahama administration, Sedina Christine Tamakloe Attionu, extradited to Ghana to serve the 10 years’ imprisonment in hard labour sentence.
The Office yesterday secured a warrant for the arrest of the convict who was declared a fugitive by a High Court in Accra, following her refusal to return to Ghana to face trial after she was granted leave to travel to the United States for medical checkup in 2021.
Ghanaian law enforcement agencies would be working with the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) to ensure the extradition of the convict back to Ghana to serve her jail term.
This is the second time a court is issuing a warrant for her arrest, with the first one issued on November 16, 2021 after she failed to return to Ghana for the continuation of the trial.
Conviction
A High Court presided over by Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe, a Justice of the Court of Appeal sitting as an additional High Court judge, last Tuesday convicted and sentenced Madam Attionu to 10 years’ imprisonment in hard labour for causing financial loss to the state.
An interdicted Operations Manager of the Centre, Daniel Axim, was also sentenced to five (5) years’ imprisonment for the same offence for his role in the looting of state funds.
The trial judge before sentencing the two observed that people talk about violent crime and how wicked it is “…but when you have an educated thief, that thief is capable of causing far more havoc than someone with AK47 is capable of doing.”
The two were found guilty and convicted of all the 78 charges levelled against them by the Office of the Attorney General in 2019 for various criminal acts that led to the state losing a whopping GH¢93,044,134.66.
Arrest Warrant
One of concerns raised by the trial judge during her judgement included an observation that no effort had been made by the state to have Madam Attionu arrested and returned to Ghana to stand trial.
Stella Ohene Appiah, a Principal State Attorney, in response indicated that it would be easier for the state to have her extradited once the court made final pronouncement on the matter and Madam Attionu was convicted.
Yvonne Yaache-Adomako, an Assistant State Attorney from the Office of the Attorney General, yesterday moved a motion and prayed the court to issue a warrant for the arrest of the convict so that she would serve the prison sentence imposed on her.
She said the Office has demonstrated sufficient grounds in the affidavit in support for the issuance of the warrant and prayed the court to grant it.
Justice Lydia Osei Marfo, the presiding judge, granted the application and issued a warrant for the arrest of Madam Attionu who is believed to be hiding in the United States.
Jail Terms
Individually, Madam Attionu was sentenced to a total of 21 years’ imprisonment in hard labour for stealing (10 years), causing financial loss to the state (3 years), causing loss to public property (two years), improper payment (6 months), unauthorised commitment resulting in a financial obligation for the government (6 months), money laundering (3 years) and contravention of the Public Procurement Act (2 years).
She was also fined a total of GH¢78,000 for the offences and in default she will serve another six years in jail.
Daniel Axim, on other hand, has been handed a total of eight (8) years – conspiracy to steal (5 years), conspiracy to wilfully cause financial loss to the state (12 months), and another two years for money laundering.
He was also fined a total of GH¢18,000 in default of which he is to serve another 24 months in prison.
But the court said the sentences are to run concurrently, meaning Madam Attionu would be serving a maximum of 10 years in prison while Mr. Axim would spend a total of five (5) years in prison.
