A United States court has approved the extradition of former MASLOC Chief Executive Sedinam Tamakloe Attionu to Ghana, clearing the way for her to serve a 10-year prison sentence handed down in 2024.
The US District Court in Nevada ruled that it has authority over the case and confirmed that the extradition treaty between Ghana and the United States remains valid.
The court also found that the woman before it is the same person sought by Ghanaian authorities and that the supporting documents submitted by Ghana were properly certified.
In its decision, the court said there is sufficient basis to believe she committed the offences for which Ghana is requesting her return. It therefore certified her extradition and ordered that she be held in the custody of the US Marshals Service while the US Secretary of State makes a final decision on her surrender.
Sedina Tamakloe Attionu was convicted in Ghana in April 2024 on charges including causing financial loss to the state, stealing, conspiracy, money laundering and breaches of procurement laws. She was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Court records indicate that she left Ghana before the trial concluded after being granted permission to travel abroad for medical reasons.
The extradition process marks a significant step in Ghana’s efforts to enforce the judgment and return her to serve her sentence. The case has drawn sustained public attention as part of wider attempts to hold public officials accountable and recover state funds linked to alleged financial misconduct at MASLOC.
Background
Sedinam Tamakloe-Attionu was in April 2024, sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment with hard labour after being found guilty on 78 counts, including causing financial loss to the state, stealing, conspiracy to steal, money laundering, and breaches of the Public Procurement Act.
Her co-accused, former MASLOC Chief Operating Officer Daniel Axim, was also sentenced to five years’ imprisonment with hard labour.
The two were prosecuted for offences committed between 2013 and 2016, involving the misappropriation of funds meant for MASLOC activities. The trial, which began in 2019, saw the state call six witnesses.
Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu was tried in absentia after she absconded while on permission from the court to seek medical treatment abroad. Daniel Axim, however, testified in person but did not call any witnesses.
Among the offences established by the court was the withdrawal of GH¢500,000 as a loan to Obaatampa Savings and Loans Company, which the convicts later demanded to be refunded after the institution declined to agree to a 24 percent interest rate. Although evidence showed the amount was refunded, it was not reflected in the accounts of MASLOC.
The court also found that over GH¢1.7 million allocated for a sensitisation exercise was misappropriated. MASLOC was expected to pay GH¢20 each to 85,300 beneficiaries, but only GH¢1,300 was used for the intended purpose.
Additionally, only GH¢579,800 out of GH¢1.4 million meant for victims of the Kantamanso inferno was disbursed, with the remainder unlawfully appropriated.
The case further involved inflated procurement costs for vehicles and Samsung mobile phones, with evidence indicating that the amounts paid exceeded prevailing market prices, despite the items being purchased in bulk.
