Former Chief Executive Officer of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Sedina Tamakloe Attionu, has returned to Ghana following her extradition from the United States to serve a 10-year prison sentence imposed by the Accra High Court.
Sedina Attionu arrived at Kotoka International Airport on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, aboard United Airlines flight UA 996, which landed at approximately 9:01 a.m. after departing from Washington Dulles International Airport.
Sources familiar with the process confirmed that she was received by security officials upon arrival and immediately taken into custody. She is currently undergoing administrative debriefing and medical examinations before being transferred to begin serving her sentence.
Her return marks the culmination of a lengthy extradition process initiated by the Government of Ghana after she failed to return to the country following a medical trip to the United States during her trial.
In 2024, the Accra High Court convicted Attionu in absentia and sentenced her to 10 years imprisonment after finding her guilty of causing financial loss to the state and stealing. The court determined that actions taken during her tenure as MASLOC Chief Executive between 2013 and 2016 resulted in a financial loss of nearly GH¢90 million to the state.
The conviction followed years of legal proceedings centred on allegations of misappropriation and diversion of public funds at the government-backed microfinance institution.
Attionu had been granted permission by the High Court in 2021 to travel to the United States for medical treatment while her trial was ongoing. However, she did not return to Ghana to continue participating in the proceedings, leading the court to continue and conclude the trial in her absence.
Following her conviction, Ghanaian authorities intensified efforts to secure her return. In 2025, the Government of Ghana formally submitted an extradition request to the United States.
The request was subsequently reviewed by a U.S. District Court in Nevada, which certified the extradition after considering the legal documentation and evidence presented by Ghanaian authorities, clearing the way for her return.
Her extradition is regarded as a significant milestone in one of Ghana’s most prominent corruption-related prosecutions involving a former public official.
Authorities are expected to complete the necessary security, medical, and administrative procedures before transferring her to the custody of the Ghana Prisons Service to begin serving the sentence imposed by the court.
While officials have not indicated whether any additional legal proceedings will follow, her return is expected to bring closure to a case that has remained in the public spotlight for several years.
Anti-corruption advocates have described the extradition as a landmark achievement, highlighting Ghana’s ability to work with international partners to pursue and secure the return of convicted public officials who leave the country while facing criminal prosecution.
Source: citinews
