I cannot trust that Sedina Tamakloe is in custody — Manasseh
Investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has raised serious concerns about the lack of clarity surrounding the whereabouts and custody status of convicted former Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) Chief Executive Officer, Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu, calling on authorities to be more open about where she is being held.
Sedina Attionu-Tamakloe, who was convicted in absentia in 2024 and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for causing financial loss to the state and stealing, was recently extradited from the United States and received by security personnel upon arrival in Ghana.
She is expected to begin serving her sentence following a lengthy extradition process initiated by the Government of Ghana after she failed to return from a medical trip abroad during her trial.
Speaking on The Big Issue on Citi FM on Saturday, June 20, Manasseh said he is unconvinced by assurances that she is in custody, insisting that official communication has not provided sufficient detail or transparency.
“Long before her coming in, I have heard and many people in Ghana may also have heard that we have a system in this country where some influential people when they are convicted and said to be in jail don't actually go to prison,” he said.
He suggested that there is a widespread perception that some convicted individuals are kept in undisclosed locations and occasionally moved in and out of custody, describing the situation as deeply troubling.
“It is a whole lot of mess,” he said. Manasseh argued that authorities have no justification for withholding basic information such as the exact facility where a convicted person is being held.
“I don't think anything prevents this administration from telling us that look, this person has come in, he came in on this date, he is in Nsawam prison or he is at the Cantonments Police cells and if everybody goes there they will find him,” he stated.
He added that secrecy around such matters only deepens public suspicion and weakens confidence in the justice system.
“I don't think anything stops the government from being clear on that. So where the government intends to hide something, where there is no reason to hide it, it only fuels suspicion,” he said.
Manasseh further stressed that he cannot simply accept claims of custody without independent verification.
“As I sit here I cannot trust that Sedina Tamakloe is in custody just because somebody tells me she is in custody. I don't trust that,” he said.
He questioned why it should be difficult for authorities to clearly state where she is being held and under what conditions.
“What stops the government from telling us where she is, which prison, which police cells she is being kept?” he asked.