The National Coordinator of the District Road Improvement Programme (DRIP), Nii Lantey Vanderpuye, has encouraged former MASLOC Chief Executive Officer Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu to remain resilient and accept her prison sentence as a part of life, following her extradition from the United States to Ghana.
Speaking in an interview, the former Odododiodoo MP remarked that Sedina Tamakloe’s predicament should be viewed as a setback rather than a conclusion to her life, urging her to focus on personal growth while serving her sentence.
“She has returned, and I wish her well. All I can say is that she must bear this burden. It is merely one step back. She should not remain down; she must rise and shape her future. Many individuals have faced challenges and emerged as better people,” he stated.
Vanderpuye cited numerous historical and global figures who triumphed over adversity, including imprisonment, to attain leadership positions, emphasising that personal challenges do not dictate one’s future.
“There is a president of a country who has faced nearly 140 convictions. Do you understand? Yet, he is a president. Therefore, she too can succeed. Joseph rose from prison to become a prime minister.
“Jerry Rawlings emerged from prison to become a president, a head of state. Nelson Mandela, Kwame Nkrumah, and many others serve as examples,” he continued in an interview monitored by The Ghana Report on Channel One TV.
His remarks come in the wake of Sedina Tamakloe’s return to Ghana after being extradited from the United States to fulfil a 10-year prison sentence handed down by the Accra High Court.
She was convicted in 2024 in absentia on several charges, including causing financial loss to the state and theft. The court determined that her actions during her tenure as Chief Executive of MASLOC from 2013 to 2016 led to a loss of nearly GH¢90 million for the state.
In 2021, she received authorisation to travel to the United States for medical treatment while her trial was still in progress.
However, she did not return to Ghana to resume the proceedings, which led the court to conclude the trial without her presence.
After her conviction, the authorities in Ghana commenced extradition proceedings in 2025, officially seeking her return from the United States.
A US District Court in Nevada reviewed the request, and after assessing the legal documents provided by the Ghanaian authorities, it certified the extradition, thereby facilitating her transfer to Ghana to serve her sentence.
