Sedina Tamakloe Attionu
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has alleged that former Chief Executive Officer of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Sedina Tamakloe Attionu, was not placed in prison custody for 15 days after returning to Ghana, despite being subject to a custodial sentence.
Addressing a press conference in Parliament yesterday, the Member of Parliament for Manhyia South and spokesperson for the NPP’s Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, said the party had conducted independent checks into the whereabouts of Ms. Tamakloe Attionu following her return to the country on June 9, 2024.
According to him, the party’s findings showed that the former MASLOC boss was not admitted into any prison facility until June 24, 2026.
“We can categorically state that until yesterday, June 24, 2026, Madam Sedina Tamakloe Attionu was not in prison custody. From June 9 when she arrived to June 24, she was not in prison custody. That is a matter of record,” he stated.
Mr. Awuah said the NPP could confirm that Ms. Tamakloe Attionu was currently being held in a female section of a medium-security prison facility, but declined to disclose the location.
He explained that the party was withholding the name of the prison because of intelligence suggesting that government officials could use security concerns as a basis to transfer her from the facility.
The MP further alleged that Ms. Tamakloe Attionu entered prison custody “under protest” after being assured that efforts were being made to overturn the court’s decision and prevent her imprisonment.
“Our intelligence is that she was assured they were not going to have her go into prison custody and that they were going to work around the clock to have the decision overturned so that she would have her liberty,” he claimed.
Mr. Baffour Awuah also alleged that it was public pressure that ultimately compelled the government to transfer the former MASLOC CEO into prison custody.
“It is only because of the public pressure that the government decided to deliver her into prison custody,” he said.
The Manhyia South legislator accused the government of interfering with the execution of a lawful court order by allegedly allowing Ms. Tamakloe Attionu to remain outside prison for two weeks after her return.
“By preventing her from serving the prison term for the 15 days that she has been in Ghana, government has interfered with a lawful order of a court of competent jurisdiction, and that is contempt of court,” he asserted.
Mr. Awuah argued that the handling of the matter reinforced perceptions that political actors were protected when implicated in corruption-related cases.
“The Ghanaian people are watching us very closely as a political class. They are tired of the way government protects its own when it comes to corruption and corruption-related cases,” he said.
He further accused the government of selectively pursuing corruption cases and shielding members of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) when they encountered legal difficulties.
According to him, the NPP would continue monitoring developments surrounding the case to ensure that the judicial process was allowed to run its course without political interference.
The MP disclosed that the party had also begun investigating the circumstances surrounding an appeal reportedly filed in connection with Ms. Tamakloe Attionu’s conviction and sentence.
He said questions had emerged regarding the timing of the appeal and that the party was examining court records to establish the facts.
Asked where Ms. Tamakloe Attionu had been staying during the 15-day period before her admission into prison, Mr. Awuah said he could not provide details.
“What is certain is that she was not in prison custody. When a person is delivered into a prison facility, there are records. There was no such delivery,” he maintained.
Mr. Awuah called on the government to provide any contrary public records if it disputed the NPP’s claims, insisting that transparency was necessary to restore public confidence in the fight against corruption and the administration of justice.
By Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House