Attorney General to Appeal Court of Appeal Acquittal of Former MASLOC CEO Sedina Tamakloe
Ghana’s Attorney-General will appeal a Court of Appeal ruling that overturned the conviction of former Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) Chief Executive Sedina Attionu Tamakloe, the Justice Ministry said on Thursday.
The Office of the Attorney-General and Ministry of Justice said it had directed the Director of Public Prosecutions to file a notice of appeal at the Supreme Court after the appellate court acquitted Tamakloe of all charges.
Tamakloe had been convicted in absentia by the High Court (Financial Division 2) and sentenced to 10 years in prison over allegations of financial misconduct during her tenure at the state-owned lending agency.
She faced 78 charges, including conspiracy to steal, stealing, causing financial loss to the state, causing loss to public property, improper payment of public funds, unauthorized commitments resulting in financial obligations to the government, money laundering and breaches of Ghana’s Public Procurement Act.
The Attorney-General’s office said the State had opposed Tamakloe’s appeal, arguing that the High Court’s judgment should be upheld. The Court of Appeal nonetheless quashed the conviction and acquitted her on all counts.
The Ministry said the Attorney-General had also instructed prosecutors to apply for a stay of execution of the Court of Appeal’s judgment pending the Supreme Court’s determination of the appeal.
“The Attorney-General remains committed to the due process of law and is confident that the appeal before the Supreme Court will succeed,” the Ministry said in a statement.
The case relates to allegations of financial irregularities during Tamakloe’s tenure as MASLOC chief executive. The Supreme Court is expected to hear the State’s appeal following the filing of the notice.
