A US federal court in Nevada has cleared the way for Sedina Christine Tamakloe-Attionu, the former MASLOC boss convicted of stealing state funds, to be sent back to Ghana to begin her 10-year prison sentence.
The ruling brings to a head a dramatic pursuit that began after Tamakloe-Attionu fled the country mid-trial, exploiting court permission granted for overseas medical treatment. Ghanaian authorities had secured her conviction in absentia in April 2024 on 78 separate counts — ranging from causing financial loss to the state and money laundering to conspiracy and violations of the Public Procurement Act. Her case has become a litmus test for whether powerful public officials can outrun accountability by crossing borders.
The Nevada district court methodically dismantled any procedural barriers to extradition. It confirmed its own jurisdiction, verified the identity of the accused, and upheld the validity of the longstanding extradition treaty between Ghana and the United States. Judges found that Ghana’s supporting documents met certification requirements and that probable cause existed linking Tamakloe-Attionu to the offences in question. She now sits in the custody of the United States Marshals Service while the US Secretary of State makes a final determination on her surrender.
The financial misconduct at the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre between 2013 and 2016 was staggering in its breadth. Investigators established that GH¢500,000 withdrawn as a loan to Obaatampa Savings and Loans Company was eventually refunded — but never showed up in MASLOC’s books. Over GH¢1.7 million earmarked to pay 85,300 beneficiaries GH¢20 each during a sensitisation exercise was siphoned off, with only GH¢1,300 reaching its intended purpose. Victims of the Kantamanso inferno fared little better: just GH¢579,800 of the GH¢1.4 million allocated for their relief was actually disbursed. Prosecutors also proved that procurement costs for vehicles and Samsung mobile phones were deliberately inflated above market rates, even though the items were bought in bulk.
Tamakloe-Attionu did not face justice alone. Her co-accused, former MASLOC Chief Operating Officer Daniel Axim, received a five-year sentence with hard labour after standing trial in person. The prosecution called six witnesses during proceedings that stretched from 2019 to 2024. Axim testified in his own defence but presented no additional witnesses.
The extradition ruling sends a pointed message to public officeholders who believe distance can shield them from the consequences of looting state coffers. For ordinary Ghanaians — particularly the tens of thousands of intended MASLOC beneficiaries who never received their funds — the question now shifts from whether Tamakloe-Attionu will return, to whether the stolen resources themselves can ever be recovered.
Source: Citi Newsroom
