Attorney-General, Dr. Dominic Ayine has affirmed the High Court judgement which convicted former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu.
This comes after the Court of Appeal on Thursday, July 30, unanimously overturned the 10-year jail sentence handed to Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu by the High Court in April 2024.
Sedina was acquitted after the court ruled that the former MASCLOC CEO should not have been sentenced as the prosecution could not prove the charges levelled against her beyond reasonable doubt.
The A-G has therefore indicated his intention to file an appeal at the Supreme Court to challenge the acquittal.
He explained that his office and the State believe the High Court judgement has merit in convicting Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu.
“I have a soft copy of the judgement, I am yet to peruse it and then come to a firm conclusion as to what will be our grounds of appeal but I want to emphasise that the judgment of the High Court had merit,” he stated at the Government Accountability Series on Thursday, July 30.
Ayine stressed that Sedina ought to have remained convicted as “the United States District Court that extradited her to Ghana had a basis for making a determination that she was a proper subject for extradition.”
Dr. Dominic Ayine has directed the Director of Public Prosecutions to immediately file a notice of appeal to the Supreme Court against the Court of Appeal decision to acquit and discharge Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu.
The A-G said an application for a stay of execution of the judgement pending the determination of the appeal will also be filed.
Ayine said his office remains committed to the due process of law and is confident that the appeal which is yet to come before the Supreme Court will succeed.
The State said it opposed Sedina Tamakloe’s appeal by filing written submissions, contending that the appeal lacked merit and ought to be dismissed.
Ms. Tamakloe was charged with seventy-eight (78) counts of various offences, 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, unauthorized commitments resulting in financial obligations to the Government, money laundering, and breaches of the Public Procurement Act.
She was tried and convicted in absentia in April 2024 by the High Court (Financial Division 2), presided over by Her Ladyship Justice Afia Serwaa Asare-Botwe, JA, sitting as an additional High Court Judge.
Upon her conviction, she was sentenced to ten (10) years’ imprisonment in her absence.
However, the Court of Appeal on Thursday, July 30, unanimously overturned the 10-year jail sentence handed to Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu.
Sedina was acquitted after the court ruled that the former MASCLOC CEO should not have been sentenced as the prosecution could not prove the charges levelled against her.
TV3’s Court correspondent, Laud Adu-Asare reported that the three panel of Judges in arriving at the ruling said the High Court trial Judge lost sight of the presumption of innocence of the accused person until proven guilty.
Also, the panel of Judges noted that the prosecution transferred the burden of proof to the accused person and that the prosecution could not prove the ingredients of the charges proffered against Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu.
Justice Emmanuel Ankamah, Justice Emmanuel Senyo Amedahe and Justice Ernest Yao Gaewu formed the panel of Judges who ruled on the matter.
