The Court of Appeal has overturned the 10-year custodial sentence handed to Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu, standardising her complete acquittal and discharge after setting aside her initial conviction.
In a decisive ruling handed down on Thursday, the appellate panel established that state prosecutors failed to prove their allegations against the former boss of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre beyond reasonable doubt, thereby rendering the High Court’s previous verdict invalid.
The landmark judgment stems from a petition lodged by Ms Tamakloe-Attionu’s legal defense, who fiercely contested the safety of her conviction alongside the procedural fairness of prosecuting and sentencing her in absentia.
Her counsel maintained that the original indictment was fatally flawed and that the prosecution’s evidence fell well short of the legal threshold required to secure a conviction.
Ms Tamakloe-Attionu was extradited from the United States and brought back to Ghana on 9 June 2026, subsequently beginning her decade-long incarceration at the Nsawam Medium Security Female Prison on 24 June 2026.
She had originally departed for the US in 2021 after securing permission from the High Court to seek medical care while her legal proceedings were underway, but she did not return to the country.
An Accra High Court had convicted her in 2024 on multiple counts, including causing financial loss to the state and stealing, following allegations that she misappropriated public funds during her time at the helm of MASLOC.
However, the Court of Appeal has now completely invalidated that outcome, declaring that the state failed to meet the required standard of proof in criminal matters.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana