Sedina Attionu Tamakloe
The whereabouts of former Chief Executive Officer of Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Sedina Attionu Tamakloe, who is standing trial for causing over GH¢93 million financial loss to the state, remains unknown as the prosecution takes steps to hold her sureties accountable.
The Office of the Attorney General has filed an application for ‘extriction’ of the sureties who executed the accused person’s bail bond when she first appeared before the court.
The ‘extriction’ of the bond on the sureties would mean that they will have to make available the GH¢5 million or the properties used as justification for the execution of the bail bond.
The application was, however, withdrawn by Hilda Craig, a Senior State Attorney after Agbesi Dzakpasu, counsel for Ms. Tamakloe raised concerns about the competence of the applications which did not annex bond forfeiture documents.
The court, presided over by Justice Afia Serwaa Asare-Botwe, struck out the application as withdrawn with liberty to reapply.
Dr. Aziz Bamba, counsel for Alex Mould, one of the sureties for Ms. Tamakloe has indicated that he has filed an application with respect to the bond forfeiture motion.
The case was adjourned to March 25, 2022, for continuation.
Meanwhile, the application seeking leave to hold the trial of the John Mahama appointee in her absence has been put on hold pending the determination of the bond forfeiture application.
The applications were filed by the prosecution as a result of the failure of the former MASLOC boss to return from the United States of America for the continuation of the trial after the court had granted her permission to travel.
Ms. Tamakloe and a former Operations Manager of MASLOC, Daniel Axim, are standing trial for causing financial loss to the state.
They are facing 78 counts of charges including conspiracy to steal, stealing, and unauthorised commitment, among others.
Last year, the court presided over by Justice Afia Serwaa Asare-Botwe, had granted Ms. Tamakloe leave to travel to the US, and was expected to return to court on October 6, 2021, but failed to do so and the judge issued a warrant for her arrest and subsequently adjourned the matter to November 16, 2021.
The accused person still failed to return to the country and the case was once again adjourned to January 10, 2021, with the hope that she would have returned by that date.
She has still not returned, thereby holding the trial in abeyance.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak