A former Chief Executive Officer of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Sedina Tamaklo-Attionu, has been taken into custody in the United States, Ghana’s embassy in Washington has confirmed.

In a statement dated January 15, and signed by Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States, Victor Smith, it was disclosed that Tamakloe-Attionu was arrested by the United States Marshals Service on January 6, 2026.

She is currently being detained at the Southern Nevada Detention Centre in Pahrump, where she is being held pending court proceedings.

Tamakloe-Attionu was convicted in absentia in April 2024 and sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment for offences committed during her tenure at MASLOC.

Her former deputy, Daniel Axim, who served as Chief Operating Officer, was also convicted and handed a five-year prison term with hard labour for his role in causing financial loss to the state amounting to GH¢90 million.a

The former MASLOC boss absconded while on court-approved travel abroad for medical treatment and failed to return to Ghana to face trial.

Investigations by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), initiated in 2017, uncovered widespread irregularities involving the fraudulent disbursement of public funds under her administration.

Prosecutors accused Tamakloe-Attionu of embezzling GH¢3.19 million and deliberately causing a further financial loss of GH¢1.97 million to the state.

She was also charged with making unauthorised financial commitments that exposed the government to liabilities totalling GH¢61.74 million.

Detailed breakdown of funds linked to Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu’s conviction emerges

Fresh details have emerged outlining the specific financial transactions that led to the conviction and 10-year prison sentence of former Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) Chief Executive Officer, Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu.

The amounts form part of the charges of embezzlement, wilfully causing financial loss to the state, and unauthorised commitments during her tenure at the state agency.

Court proceedings revealed that Tamakloe-Attionu appropriated GH¢500,000 of MASLOC funds for personal use after the money was returned by Obaatanpa Micro-Finance Company Limited.

She was also found to have withdrawn GH¢1.816 million in tranches, despite the MASLOC board approving only GH¢1.706 million for a nationwide sensitisation programme.

Of that amount, evidence showed that just GH¢1,300 was spent on refreshments for a limited number of beneficiaries in the Volta, Greater Accra and Brong-Ahafo regions, with no programme held in the remaining regions.

Further findings indicated that only GH¢579,800 was disbursed from GH¢1,465,035 allocated to victims of the 2013 Kantamanto Market fire disaster.

The former MASLOC boss was also implicated in the procurement of vehicles at significantly inflated prices without approval from the Public Procurement Authority.

These included 150 Chevy Aveo saloon cars, 100 Chevy Sparklite vehicles and 33-seater Isuzu buses, all acquired in 2013 at costs far above prevailing market rates.

In addition, she was accused of authorising the purchase of 200 Samsung B310 dual-SIM mobile phones under the PINCO Project Market Survey in 2016 at a cost of GH¢93,412, despite the market value being GH¢24,400.

Tamakloe-Attionu was further found to have approved ex-gratia payments of GH¢135,592.33 for herself and GH¢82,218.76 for her deputy, as well as leave allowances of GH¢28,445.94 and GH¢27,486.62 respectively.