The Attorney-General has expressed concern that former Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) Chief Executive Officer Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu could leave Ghana before the Supreme Court determines the State’s appeal against her acquittal and discharge.
The concern is contained in an application filed by the Attorney-General seeking a stay of execution of the Court of Appeal’s judgment, which acquitted and discharged Mrs. Tamakloe-Attionu, pending the final determination of the State’s appeal before the Supreme Court.
According to the Attorney-General, allowing the Court of Appeal’s judgment to take immediate effect could enable Mrs. Tamakloe-Attionu to leave the jurisdiction, potentially frustrating the appeal process and rendering the State’s efforts ineffective.
The State argues that this constitutes a special circumstance warranting the suspension of the acquittal order until the Supreme Court rules on the appeal.
However, the Court of Appeal on Friday adjourned the application indefinitely after the judges said they were unable to reach a decision.
A three-member panel comprising Justice Sophia Rosetta Bernasko-Essah, who presided, Justice Dr. Ernest Owusu-Dapaa, and Justice Ayitey Armah-Tetteh heard arguments from the State and lawyers for Mrs. Tamakloe-Attionu before retiring to consider the application.
After nearly two hours of deliberations, the judges returned to court and informed the parties that they had been unable to arrive at a decision. The panel subsequently adjourned the matter indefinitely without indicating when it would reconvene to deliver its ruling.
In its application, the Attorney-General further contends that the Court of Appeal’s judgment occasioned a substantial miscarriage of justice and contained material errors of law and fact.
The State maintains that the appeal filed at the Supreme Court raises substantial and arguable legal grounds with a real likelihood of success.
Mrs. Tamakloe-Attionu was convicted in absentia by the Accra High Court on April 16, 2024, and sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment after being found guilty of offences including causing financial loss to the state, stealing and money laundering.
She had left Ghana during the trial, which subsequently continued in her absence. The State later initiated extradition proceedings against her, leading to her return from the United States in June 2026 to begin serving her sentence.
However, the Court of Appeal on July 30, 2026, unanimously overturned the conviction and sentence, acquitting and discharging her after finding that the prosecution had failed to prove the charges beyond reasonable doubt.
The Attorney-General filed a notice of appeal against that decision on the same day and subsequently applied for a stay of execution to prevent the acquittal order from taking effect while the Supreme Court considers the case.
Until the Court of Appeal delivers its ruling on the application, the legal position regarding the enforcement of its acquittal judgment remains unresolved.
