President of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, has expressed disappointment in the acquittal and discharge of the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Sedina Christine Tamakloe-Attionu, by the Court of Appeal.
According to him, the former MASLOC boss’s acquittal suggests government appointees can siphon state resources without accountability, undermining anti-corruption efforts.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, July 30, 2026, after the Court of Appeal’s ruling, Mr. Cudjoe said people can misuse state resources, abscond, and still get their freedom even after conviction, making a mockery of anti-corruption efforts.
“You can steal, you can dupe the state, run away, get extradited back to your country and when your party is in power, you will be free,” he posted.
He added that the precedent suggests extraditing the former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, will be pointless since he might enjoy a similar acquittal once his party resumes power.
“On that note, Ken Ofori -Atta toa so. Live free, Live forever.”
The Court of Appeal on Thursday, July 30, 2026, ruled that the former MASCLOC CEO should not have been sentenced as the prosecution could not prove the charges levelled against her.
Madam Tamakloe-Attionu was in April 2024, convicted and sentenced to 10 years in absentia after the Accra High Court convicted her of 78 counts of offences including stealing, causing financial loss to the state, money laundering and improper payment of public funds.
She has been serving the 10-year prison sentence after being extradited from the United States to Ghana in June 2026.
Her trial began with investigations into alleged financial irregularities during her tenure at MASLOC between 2013 and 2016, resulting in alleged significant losses to the state.
Tamakloe-Ationu was accused of embezzling GH¢3.19 million and causing a deliberate financial loss of GH¢1.97 million to the state.
The former MASLOC boss had travelled to the US for a court-approved medical trip but failed to return, leading to extradition proceedings. She was arrested by US Marshals in Texas and detained at the Nevada Southern Detention Center before being extradited to Ghana on June 9, 2026.
Upon arrival, she was taken into custody and underwent routine medical examinations before beginning her sentence.
Her lawyers filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal in May 2024, to overturn her conviction and sentence, arguing that the charges were defective and lacked sufficient details.
But the court has ruled that the prosecution could not prove the charges levelled against her.
Following her extradition to Ghana to commence her sentencing, concerns were raised over whether she was going to serve the jail term or going to receive a presidential pardon. But some bigwigs in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) insisted President Mahama was not going to grant her any pardon.
