Former Director of Legal Affairs of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Abraham Amaliba, has suggested that the Attorney-General may have withdrawn the application seeking to keep former MASLOC Chief Executive Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu in custody after concluding that there was little basis to pursue the matter.

According to him, the Attorney-General may have reviewed the Court of Appeal’s judgment and determined that an appeal to the Supreme Court was unlikely to succeed.

Mr Amaliba was commenting on the decision by the Attorney-General to withdraw the stay of execution application following the Court of Appeal’s acquittal and discharge of Ms Tamakloe-Attionu.

The Court of Appeal on July 30, 2026, unanimously overturned her conviction and 10-year prison sentence, holding that the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.

Speaking on Joy FM's Top Story on August 12, Mr Amaliba said the withdrawal could be explained by the Attorney-General’s approach to prosecutions, which he said is based on the availability and strength of evidence.

“I can only hazard a guess,” he said when asked why the Attorney-General withdrew the stay of application processes filed.

“Don’t forget that the appeal was filed at the time when the judgment was not before the Attorney-General. You remember he said that in his press conference. He said that this morning, that was when he was speaking, that he has a soft copy; he has not read it yet, but he has ordered the DPP.

“I’m sure after reading it, he comes to the firm conclusion that there’s nothing to appeal, and that when you appeal, you will lose.”

Mr Amaliba noted that the Attorney-General has previously maintained that prosecutions should only be pursued where there is sufficient evidence to support them.

He said it was therefore possible that a review of the appellate court’s judgment influenced the decision to withdraw the stay application.

The Attorney-General had initially directed the Director of Public Prosecutions to file a notice of appeal at the Supreme Court and an application for a stay of execution of the Court of Appeal’s judgment.

The State had argued that the Court of Appeal’s decision contained errors of law and fact and that there were substantial grounds for the Supreme Court to overturn it. It also expressed concern that Ms Tamakloe-Attionu could leave the jurisdiction before the Supreme Court determined the appeal.

However, following the withdrawal of the stay application, a judge signed the release warrant for Ms Tamakloe-Attionu, paving the way for her release from custody.

Mr Amaliba also rejected suggestions from the opposition NPP that the development vindicated its earlier claims that the government intended to shield Ms Tamakloe-Attionu.

He argued that such claims ignored the independence of the judiciary and the effect of the Court of Appeal’s ruling.