The Court of Appeal’s ruling on July 30, 2026, acquitting and dismissing Sedina Christine Tamakloe Attionu, the former CEO of the Microfinance and Small Loans Center (MASLOC), was strongly condemned by the New Patriotic Party.
The NPP called the decision a “travesty of justice” and another proof of a politicised legal system in a strongly worded statement released by General Secretary Justin Kodua Frimpong.
In April 2024, the High Court found Tamakloe Attionu guilty on several counts of stealing, money laundering, inflicting financial harm to the state, and violating the Public Procurement Act. She received a ten-year prison sentence.
The trial court concluded that the Ghanaian taxpayer lost over GH₵90 million during her time as CEO from 2013 to 2016.
The verdict of Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe detailed fraudulent disbursements, unaccounted cash (including money intended for loan beneficiaries and victims of the Kantamanto Market disaster), and purposeful attempts to redirect MASLOC resources.
She escaped Ghana during the trial, was convicted in absentia, and was later extradited from the United States, arriving in the country on 9 June 2026. The Court of Appeal overturned the conviction and released her just seven weeks later.
Given her extradition and the Attorney-General’s actions since January 2025, the NPP contended that the pace of the appeal procedure suggests political intent.
The party pointed out that in instances involving members of the governing party facing charges pertaining to the public coffers, the same Attorney-General has either halted or issued nolle prosequi.
The NPP states that what could not be accomplished by a nolle prosequi for an individual who had already been found guilty was accomplished “through the back door.”
“The pattern is unmistakable: if you are connected to the government of the day, the criminal justice system will find a way to set you free, no matter how grave the findings against you,” the statement said.
The Economic and Organised Crime Office’s years of investigative work, the trial court’s diligence, the resources expended on extradition, and the public’s right to see the national purse safeguarded were all mocked by the verdict, according to the party.
It cautioned that the basis of constitutional democracy is jeopardised when justice seems to follow party allegiance rather than facts and the law.
The NPP made four demands:
- That the Attorney-General immediately discontinue and discharge all cases against appointees of the previous NPP administration currently on trial, on grounds of consistency and fairness.
- That Bernard Antwi Boasiako (Chairman Wontumi), the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP, be immediately acquitted and discharged. The party noted his 20-year sentence with hard labour and the more than twenty grounds of appeal already filed, arguing that the contrast with Tamakloe Attionu’s case exposes a double standard.
- That the Attorney-General provide a full public account of every case involving persons affiliated to the governing party that has been discontinued, withdrawn, or terminated since January 2025, together with the reasons.
- That the Judicial Council and the leadership of the Judiciary take urgent steps to restore public confidence in the administration of justice.
The NPP declared that it would take all legal measures, including a potential Supreme Court review, to hold individuals responsible for embezzling public monies accountable.
It came to the conclusion that the Ghanaian people, not any political party, should control the public coffers and that the fight against corruption should not become a partisan convenience.
Source: newsthemegh.com