Former Chief Executive Officer of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu, remains in prison custody despite the Court of Appeal’s decision to acquit and discharge her, Minister of State in charge of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has said.
Speaking in an interview, Mr. Kwakye Ofosu dismissed claims that Tamakloe-Attionu had not been held by prison authorities since returning to Ghana.
“For the avoidance of doubt. The day that Sedina landed in Ghana till the Court of Appeal made its pronouncements, she has always been in prison custody. So, the claims that she was home and was not kept by Prison authorities are blatantly false. Should we publish pictures or show videos before you believe that she was in prison?” he asked in an interview monitored by The Ghana Report on Channel One TV.
He further stressed that Tamakloe-Attionu remains behind bars despite the appellate court’s ruling.
“I can tell you Sedina has not been released; she’s still in custody.”
His comments come after Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie granted permission for the Court of Appeal to sit during the legal vacation to hear the Attorney-General’s application for a stay of execution of the judgment.
The application is scheduled to be heard on August 16.
Meanwhile, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has announced plans to stage a protest on Thursday, August 6, arguing that the Court of Appeal’s ruling was erroneous.
The party has also accused the government of intimidating members of the opposition while allegedly shielding its political allies from prosecution.
Tamakloe-Attionu’s conviction and 10-year prison sentence by the High Court for causing financial loss to the state were overturned by the Court of Appeal, which held that the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
The case centred on allegations that she unlawfully diverted a GH¢500,000 loan intended for Obaatanpa Microfinance after the institution rejected the facility because of its interest rate.
Following the Court of Appeal’s decision, the Attorney-General filed an application at the Supreme Court seeking a stay of execution of the judgment pending the determination of the State’s appeal.
The Attorney-General argued that there was a risk Ms Tamakloe-Attionu could leave the country before the Supreme Court determines the appeal.
