A federal court in Nevada has cleared the path for the return of former MASLOC chief executive Sedina Christine Tamakloe-Attionu to Ghana, certifying her extradition to serve a 10-year prison term handed down in 2024.
In its ruling, the United States District Court said it had the legal authority to hear the matter and confirmed that the extradition agreement between the United States and Ghana remains active. The judge also accepted that the woman before the court is the same individual being pursued by Ghanaian prosecutors, noting that all supporting documents submitted by Ghana were properly authenticated.
The court further determined there is sufficient basis to believe she committed the offences cited in the extradition request. With that threshold met, the judge ordered that she be handed over to the custody of the United States Marshals Service while the U.S. Secretary of State considers whether to approve her transfer to Ghana.
Tamakloe-Attionu had earlier been convicted in absentia in April 2024 and sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment with hard labour on a raft of charges, including causing financial loss to the state, stealing, conspiracy, money laundering and breaches of procurement laws. Court records indicate she left Ghana before the trial concluded after being granted permission to travel abroad for medical treatment.
Her pending return is seen as a significant move by Ghanaian authorities to enforce the judgment and pursue accountability in a case that has drawn sustained public interest.
The prosecution stemmed from activities at MASLOC between 2013 and 2016, where funds intended for microfinance programmes were diverted. The trial, which began in 2019, featured six prosecution witnesses.
Tried in her absence, Tamakloe-Attionu did not testify, while her co-accused, former MASLOC Chief Operating Officer Daniel Axim, appeared in court but called no witnesses. Axim was also convicted and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment with hard labour.
Evidence presented during the trial detailed several transactions flagged as irregular. One involved a GH¢500,000 loan to Obaatampa Savings and Loans Company. Although the funds were later returned after disagreements over a proposed 24 percent interest rate, the repayment was not recorded in MASLOC’s books.
The court also examined a sensitisation programme budgeted at over GH¢1.7 million. MASLOC was expected to distribute GH¢20 each to 85,300 beneficiaries, yet only GH¢1,300 was shown to have been used for that purpose.
In another instance, out of GH¢1.4 million earmarked for victims of the Kantamanso fire disaster, just GH¢579,800 was actually disbursed, with the remaining funds unaccounted for.
Procurement breaches also featured prominently, with findings that vehicles and Samsung mobile phones were purchased at inflated prices despite bulk acquisition, pushing costs beyond prevailing market rates.
