The Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, has robustly stood by the High Court’s initial guilty verdict against former Chief Executive Officer of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Sedina Tamakloe Attionu, maintaining that the original ruling was sound despite being set aside by the Court of Appeal.
Furthermore, Dr Ayine revealed that he has instructed the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to file for a stay of execution while the state prepares to contest the matter at the apex court.
Speaking to journalists at the Government Accountability Series on Thursday, July 30, Dr Ayine affirmed that the Attorney-General’s Department maintains full confidence in the High Court’s findings.
“I have directed the Director of Public Prosecutions to apply for a stay of execution. Meaning that if the stay is granted, the status quo will prevail until the Supreme Court has had time to review the appeal and make a determination,” he said.
“I believe that the judgment of the High Court has merit and that the US District Court that extradited her to Ghana had a basis for making a determination that she was the proper subject for the extradition.”
These remarks follow a unanimous ruling by the Court of Appeal that overturned both the conviction and the 10-year prison sentence previously handed down to Ms Tamakloe Attionu, fully exonerating and discharging her on every count.
The three-member panel—comprising Justice Emmanuel Ankamah, Justice Emmanuel Senyo Amedahe, and Justice Samuel Obeng-Diawuo—determined that the state failed to establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
In handing down the decision on Thursday, the appellate bench expressed strong reservations regarding the lower court’s management of the proceedings, noting that the trial judge overlooked the fundamental constitutional principle guaranteeing every accused individual the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.
The higher court additionally questioned the state’s handling of the prosecution, ruling that the evidence produced fell short of the legal standard necessary to uphold the convictions.
The judges indicated that a full account of their reasoning would be published in a comprehensive 94-page judgment expected later in the day.
Notwithstanding the acquittal, Dr Ayine reaffirmed that the Attorney-General’s Department intends to test the Court of Appeal’s ruling at the Supreme Court, having already initiated processes to freeze the outcome while the final appeal is considered.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana