Attorney-General seeks stay of Court of Appeal ruling acquitting Sedina Tamakloe
Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, has filed an urgent application at the Court of Appeal seeking a stay of execution of the judgment that acquitted and discharged former Chief Executive Officer of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Sedina Tamakloe Attionu, pending the determination of an appeal before the Supreme Court.
The application was filed on Thursday, July 30, shortly after the Court of Appeal unanimously overturned Ms. Attionu's conviction and 10-year custodial sentence, acquitting and discharging her on all charges.
Through the application, the Attorney-General is asking the Criminal Division of the Court of Appeal in Accra to suspend the effect of its judgment until the Supreme Court hears and determines the Republic's appeal.
The motion, filed on behalf of the Attorney-General by Principal State Attorney Hilda W. Craig, is supported by an affidavit sworn by Assistant State Attorney Andrew Owusu-Agyemang.
According to the affidavit, Ms. Attionu was first arraigned before the High Court in February 2019 on multiple charges, including stealing and causing financial loss to the state. During the trial, she travelled to the United States and failed to return, prompting the court to continue proceedings in her absence.
The High Court subsequently convicted her in absentia on April 16, 2024, sentencing her to 10 years' imprisonment with hard labour.
The affidavit states that although Ms. Attionu appealed the conviction in February 2026 while she remained outside Ghana's jurisdiction, the Attorney-General's Office simultaneously pursued her extradition. Following the approval of her extradition by a federal district court in Nevada, she was returned to Ghana in June 2026 and began serving her prison sentence.
However, on July 30, 2026, a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal, comprising Justices Emmanuel Ankamah, Emmanuel Senyo Amedahe and Samuel Obeng-Diawuo, unanimously allowed her appeal, quashed the convictions and ordered that she be acquitted and discharged.
In its judgment, the appellate court held that the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt and faulted the trial court for failing to properly apply the constitutional presumption of innocence.
The Attorney-General has challenged that decision, arguing that the Court of Appeal's ruling resulted in a substantial miscarriage of justice due to what he describes as material errors of law and fact apparent on the face of the record.
According to the affidavit, the Republic has already filed a notice of appeal at the Supreme Court and believes the appeal raises substantial and arguable legal issues with a strong likelihood of success.
The Attorney-General further contends that allowing the acquittal to remain in effect before the Supreme Court determines the appeal could render the intended appeal nugatory.
He is therefore asking the Court of Appeal to suspend the operation of its July 30 judgment until the Supreme Court delivers its final decision on the matter.
Court documents indicate that notice of the application has been served on the Registrar of the Court of Appeal's Criminal Division, Ms. Attionu at the Nsawam Medium Security Prison, and the Director of the Ghana Prisons Service at Nsawam.
Ms. Attionu, who served as MASLOC Chief Executive Officer, originally faced 78 charges, including conspiracy to steal, stealing, causing financial loss to the state, money laundering and offences under the Public Procurement Act.
She was convicted in absentia by the High Court in April 2024 after leaving Ghana during her trial. However, the Court of Appeal unanimously overturned the conviction and ordered her acquittal and discharge.
The Attorney-General has maintained that the Republic is dissatisfied with the appellate court's ruling and is confident that the Supreme Court will reverse the decision on appeal.