Ghanaian authorities have confirmed the arrest of Sedina Christine Tamakloe-Attionu in the United States, bringing a major development in the years-long MASLOC corruption case that ended with her conviction and a ten-year prison sentence in Ghana.
Tamakloe-Attionu, a former Chief Executive Officer of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre, was sentenced in absentia after she failed to return to the country to face trial. She is now being held in custody in Nevada as extradition proceedings move forward.
The arrest was confirmed in an official statement issued by Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States, His Excellency Victor Emmanuel Smith, dated Thursday, January 15, 2026. According to the statement, she “is being detained at the Nevada Southern Detention Center” located at 2190 East Mesquite Avenue, Pahrump, Nevada.
Providing further clarification, Ambassador Smith explained the circumstances surrounding the arrest. “My information is that she was detained by US Marshals on January 6th and has since been kept at that detention center,” he stated.
He said the action followed a formal request from Ghanaian authorities, noting, “I am reliably informed that acting on an extradition request sent to the US Authorities sometime in July 2024, US Marshals arrested Mrs. Tamakloe-Attionu and placed her in detention to await her day in court.”
Tamakloe-Attionu was convicted in April 2024 alongside MASLOC’s former Chief Operating Officer, Daniel Axim, after both were found guilty on 78 counts. The charges included causing financial loss to the state, stealing, conspiracy to steal, money laundering, and violations of the Public Procurement Act. The offences were linked to her time in office between 2013 and 2016.
She was tried in absentia after leaving Ghana with court permission to seek medical treatment abroad and subsequently failing to return. Following the conviction, the State obtained an arrest warrant in April 2024 to secure her apprehension and extradition.
In its judgement, the court outlined extensive financial misconduct at MASLOC. It found that GH¢500,000 withdrawn as a loan for Obaatampa Savings and Loans was later recalled and refunded but never restored to MASLOC’s accounts. The court also established that more than GH¢1.7 million earmarked for a nationwide sensitisation exercise was diverted, with only GH¢1,300 spent for its intended purpose.
The ruling further revealed that funds allocated to victims of the Kantamanso fire disaster were partially misused, with only GH¢579,800 of the GH¢1.4 million disbursed to beneficiaries. The convictions also covered inflated procurement deals involving vehicles and Samsung mobile phones, which were purchased in bulk at prices exceeding prevailing market rates, Graphic Online reported.
With her detention now confirmed in Nevada, the extradition process under the bilateral treaty between Ghana and the United States is expected to proceed. If the process is completed successfully, Tamakloe-Attionu will be returned to Ghana to serve her ten-year sentence with hard labour.
