The Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dominic Ayine, has announced plans to challenge the Court of Appeal’s decision overturning the conviction and 10-year prison sentence imposed on former Chief Executive Officer of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Sedina Attionu Tamakloe.
In a statement issued yesterday, the Attorney-General’s Office said the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had been instructed to immediately file a notice of appeal at the Supreme Court, together with an application for a stay of execution of the Court of Appeal’s judgment, pending the final determination of the case.
The decision follows Thursday’s unanimous judgment by a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal, which acquitted and discharged Ms. Tamakloe of all 78 criminal charges, after ruling that the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.
The panel, comprising Justices Emmanuel Ankamah, Emmanuel Senyo Amedahe and Samuel Obeng-Diawuo held that the trial court had lost sight of the constitutional principle that every accused person is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
According to the court, the evidence presented by the prosecution fell short of the legal threshold required to sustain the convictions.
The ruling set aside the judgment of the High Court (Financial Division 2), presided over by Justice Afia Serwaa Asare-Botwe, sitting as an additional High Court judge, which had convicted Ms. Tamakloe in absentia and sentenced her to 10 years’ imprisonment.
She had been convicted on 78 counts, including conspiracy to steal, stealing, conspiracy to cause financial loss to the state, causing financial loss to the state, causing loss to public property, improper payment of public funds, unauthorised commitments resulting in financial obligations to the government, money laundering and breaches of the Public Procurement Act.
According to the Attorney-General, the Republic vigorously opposed Ms. Tamakloe’s appeal before the Court of Appeal, arguing in its written submissions that the appeal lacked merit and ought to be dismissed.
Following the appellate court’s decision, however, the Attorney-General said the state had resolved to pursue the matter before the country’s highest court.
“The Attorney-General has directed the Director of Public Prosecutions to immediately file a notice of appeal to the Supreme Court, together with an application for a stay of execution of the judgment pending the determination of the appeal,” the statement said.
It added that the government remained committed to due process and expressed confidence that the Supreme Court would overturn the Court of Appeal’s decision.
The Attorney-General’s statement did not disclose the specific legal grounds upon which the intended appeal would be based, while the Court of Appeal’s full written reasons are yet to be made public.
The prosecution, which was initiated under former Attorney-General Godfred Yeboah Dame and based largely on investigations conducted by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), alleged that Ms. Tamakloe diverted public funds through various MASLOC programmes.
Among the allegations were the diversion of a GH¢500,000 loan intended for Obaatanpa Microfinance after the institution declined the facility because of its interest rate, the alleged misappropriation of funds earmarked for MASLOC sensitisation programmes, the diversion of relief funds intended for victims of the Kantamanto Market fire and the alleged inflation of procurement contracts for vehicles and mobile phones.
During the trial, the prosecution called seven witnesses and relied heavily on a forensic audit report in support of its case.
Ms. Tamakloe was initially charged in January 2019. She subsequently travelled abroad after obtaining the court’s permission for medical treatment, but failed to return, leading to her trial and conviction in absentia in April 2024.
Following an extradition request by the Government of Ghana, she was arrested by U.S. authorities in January 2026 and extradited to Ghana on June 9, 2026.
The Supreme Court is now expected to determine whether the Court of Appeal erred in acquitting the former MASLOC Chief Executive, a decision that could bring another significant chapter in one of Ghana’s most closely watched public corruption prosecutions.
By Richard Owusu-Akyaw and Bernice Bessy
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