Source: Ebenezer De-Gaulle
A United States court has approved the extradition of former Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) Chief Executive Officer, Sedina Christine Tamakloe Attionu, to Ghana to face multiple criminal charges related to financial misconduct.
The ruling, delivered by the United States District Court for the District of Nevada on April 9, 2026, follows a request by the Government of Ghana seeking Attionu’s return to serve her sentence after being convicted in absentia.
According to court documents, she was found guilty by a Ghanaian court on dozens of counts, including stealing, conspiracy to steal, willfully causing financial loss to the state, causing loss to public property, and money laundering.
The charges stem from her tenure as CEO of Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) between 2013 and 2017.
Prosecutors allege that Sedina Attionu, together with former MASLOC Operations Manager Daniel Axim, orchestrated several schemes that led to the misappropriation of more than GH₵25.6 million (approximately $6 million).
The funds were reportedly diverted through fraudulent loan disbursements, inflated procurement deals, and misuse of public resources intended for development and disaster relief.
Among the key allegations, the court cited evidence that Tamakloe retained large sums of MASLOC funds meant for microfinance investments, failed to implement approved nationwide programmes despite withdrawing millions of cedis, and diverted disaster relief funds intended for victims of the Kantamanto Market fire.
The US court determined that the offences were covered under existing extradition agreements between the United States and Ghana, including provisions under international anti-corruption frameworks.
It also ruled that there was sufficient evidence to establish probable cause, noting that Attionu’s conviction in Ghana further strengthened the case for extradition.
“The evidence before this Court is sufficient to justify the fugitive’s arrest and committal for trial had the alleged offenses occurred in the United States,” the ruling stated.
Sedina, who was arrested in Nevada in January 2026, will remain in US custody pending a final decision by the US Secretary of State on her surrender to Ghanaian authorities.
Extradition proceedings in the United States typically involve both judicial and executive processes, with the court certifying eligibility before the final diplomatic decision is made.
The case marks a significant step in Ghana’s efforts to pursue accountability in high-profile corruption cases involving public officials.
