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Former Chief Executive Officer of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu, has reportedly been detained at the Nevada Southern Detention Centre in the United States.
The development was confirmed in a statement signed by Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States, Emmanuel Victor Smith, dated Thursday, January 15, 2026.
According to the statement, Mrs. Tamakloe-Attionu was arrested by US Marshals on January 6, 2026, acting on an extradition request sent by the Government of Ghana to US authorities in July 2024.
“My information is that she was detained by US Marshals on January 6 and has since been held at that detention centre to await her appearance in court,” the Ambassador said.
Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu was in April 2024 sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment with hard labour after being found guilty on 78 counts, including causing financial loss to the state, stealing, conspiracy to steal, money laundering, and breaches of the Public Procurement Act.
Her co-accused, former MASLOC Chief Operating Officer Daniel Axim, was also convicted and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment with hard labour.
The two were prosecuted for offences committed between 2013 and 2016, involving the misappropriation of funds intended for MASLOC operations. The trial, which began in 2019, saw the state call six witnesses.
Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu was tried in absentia after absconding while on court-approved travel abroad for medical treatment. Daniel Axim, however, testified in person but did not call any witnesses.
Among the offences established by the court was the withdrawal of GH¢500,000 as a loan to Obaatampa Savings and Loans Company, which the convicts later demanded to be refunded after the company declined to accept a 24 percent interest rate. Although evidence showed the amount was refunded, it was not reflected in MASLOC’s accounts.
The court also found that more than GH¢1.7 million allocated for a sensitisation exercise was misappropriated. MASLOC was expected to pay GH¢20 each to 85,300 beneficiaries, but only GH¢1,300 was used for the intended purpose.
In addition, only GH¢579,800 out of GH¢1.4 million earmarked for victims of the Kantamanso inferno was disbursed, with the remainder unlawfully appropriated.
The case also involved inflated procurement costs for vehicles and Samsung mobile phones, with evidence showing that the prices paid were far above prevailing market rates, despite the items being purchased in bulk.
Mrs. Tamakloe-Attionu is expected to face extradition proceedings in the US as Ghana seeks her return to serve her sentence.
Source: citinews
