The Court of Appeal has unanimously overturned the conviction and 10-year custodial sentence imposed on former Chief Executive Officer of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Sedina Tamakloe Attionu, acquitting and discharging her of all charges. Here's a chronology of events leading to her acquittal.

The Trial and Conviction

The case against former MASLOC officials began when Sedina Tamakloe Attionu served as Chief Executive Officer of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre between 2013 and 2016. She was accused alongside her Operations Manager, Daniel Axim, of misappropriating public funds running into tens of millions of Ghana cedis.

January 2023: The High Court, presided over by Justice Afia Serwaa Asare-Botwe, ordered sureties Alex Mould and Gavivina Tamakloe to pay GH¢5 million to the state for failing to produce Attionu in court.

April 16, 2024: The Financial and Economic Court 2 of the High Court in Accra convicted Attionu in absentia on 78 counts, including stealing, conspiracy to steal, causing financial loss to the State, causing loss to public property, improper payment of public funds, unauthorised commitment, money laundering, and contravention of the Public Procurement Act. She was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment with hard labour.

Daniel Axim was convicted alongside her and handed a five-year jail term for raising memos 23 times under Attionu's direction for funds that were not used for their intended purposes.

Extradition Proceedings

July 2024: The Government of Ghana formally transmitted an extradition request to the United States through diplomatic channels to secure Attionu's return. This request was initiated under the then NPP administration.

January 6, 2026: United States Marshals arrested Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu in Nevada pursuant to Ghana's extradition request. She was detained at the Nevada Southern Detention Centre in Pahrump.

April 9, 2026: A U.S. magistrate judge in the District of Nevada certified Attionu's extradition to Ghana, finding that all legal requirements under the applicable extradition treaty had been met. The matter was referred to the U.S. Secretary of State, who retained final authority to authorise surrender.

June 8, 2026: The U.S. Marshals Service surrendered Attionu to Ghanaian authorities for transportation to Ghana, marking the first successful extradition from the United States to Ghana since 2009.

Arrival and Custody in Ghana

June 9, 2026: Sedina Tamakloe Attionu arrived in Accra to begin serving her 10-year prison sentence. Officials of the Ghana Police Service and Ghana Prisons Service took her into custody.

June 9-24, 2026: A controversy arose when the Minority in Parliament insisted that Attionu was not formally admitted into prison custody until June 24—15 days after her arrival. The Minority alleged this delay raised serious legal concerns and potential interference with the execution of a court judgment.

The Co-Accused: Daniel Axim's Bail

January 14, 2026: A five-member panel of the Supreme Court, presided over by Justice Amadu Tanko, granted Daniel Axim bail pending appeal in the sum of GH¢500,000 with two sureties, one justified with landed property. At this point, Axim had already served nearly two years of his five-year sentence.

Bail conditions: Axim was required to deposit his passport with the court registrar, report to the registrar every two weeks, and comply with strict monitoring conditions.

January 2026: The Supreme Court directed the Registrar of the High Court to transmit the trial records to the Registrar of the Court of Appeal within one month to facilitate Axim's long-delayed appeal.

The Appeal and Acquittal

May 2024: Attionu's lawyers filed a notice of appeal against the High Court conviction.

July 30, 2026: The Court of Appeal unanimously overturned the conviction and 10-year custodial sentence imposed on Sedina Tamakloe Attionu, acquitting and discharging her of all charges. A three-member panel comprising Justice Emmanuel Ankamah, Justice Emmanuel Senyo Amedahe, and Justice Samuel Obeng-Diawuo held that the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.

The appellate court criticised the trial judge's approach, stating she had lost sight of the constitutional principle that every accused person is presumed innocent until proven guilty. The court's full reasons were contained in a 94-page judgment.

Current Status

• Sedina Tamakloe Attionu: Acquitted and discharged by the Court of Appeal (July 30, 2026)
• Daniel Axim: Currently out on bail granted by the Supreme Court pending his appeal (January 2026). His appeal has stalled, and while he has not been fully acquitted and discharged, legal observers suggest that following Attionu's successful appeal, he may ultimately also be acquitted and discharged.