The Court of Appeal has exonerated and released former MASLOC Chief Executive Officer Sedina Tamakloe Attionu, overturning her conviction and 10-year prison sentence due to insufficient evidence from the prosecution.
A three-member panel, consisting of Justices Emmanuel Ankamah, Emmanuel Senyo Amedahe, and Samuel Obeng-Diawuo, reached a unanimous verdict on Thursday, determining that the prosecution’s evidence failed to satisfy the necessary legal criteria for upholding the convictions.
The court ruled that the trial judge overlooked the fundamental tenet that every defendant is deemed innocent until established guilty. The comprehensive rationale is anticipated in a 94-page ruling.
The ruling nullifies a High Court verdict issued in April 2024, which deemed Sedina Tamakloe culpable on 78 charges, which include theft, conspiracy to commit theft, deliberately inflicting financial harm to the state, damaging public assets, improper disbursement of public funds, unauthorized obligations, and money laundering.
The prosecution, spearheaded by former Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame and mostly relying on inquiries conducted by the Economic and Organised Crime Office, established that she embezzled public monies via many MASLOC initiatives.
The accusations ranged from the misappropriation of a GH¢500,000 loan meant for Obaatanpa Microfinance to the improper use of money earmarked for MASLOC awareness initiatives, also the redirection of relief monies meant for Kantamanto Market fire victims and the exaggerated procurement of vehicles and mobile devices.
The prosecution summoned seven witnesses during the trial and predominantly depended on a forensic audit report. The Court of Appeal in its verdict noted that the prosecution’s evidence did not meet the necessary standard for a criminal conviction, resulting in the acquittal and release of Sedina Tamakloe.
