The Attorney-General has voiced serious concerns regarding the possibility that Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu, the former Chief Executive Officer of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre, may flee Ghana before the Supreme Court decides on the State’s appeal against her acquittal.
This concern is outlined in the Attorney-General’s application, which seeks a stay of execution of the Court of Appeal’s ruling that acquitted and discharged Mrs Tamakloe, pending the Supreme Court’s final determination of the appeal.
Unfortunately, the Court of Appeal adjourned the application indefinitely on Friday, citing the inability of the judges to reach a consensus. The three-member panel, which included Justice Sophia Rosetta Bernasko-Essah as presiding judge, along with Justice Dr Ernest Owusu-Dapaa and Justice Ayitey Armah-Tetteh, heard arguments presented by both the State and Mrs Tamakloe’s legal team. After approximately two hours of deliberation, the judges returned to inform the parties that they had been unable to make a decision, leading to the indefinite adjournment without a specified date for reconvening.
In the Attorney-General’s application, it was argued that allowing the Court of Appeal’s judgment to take immediate effect might enable Mrs Tamakloe to leave the country, thereby undermining the State’s appeal and rendering the case efforts futile. This was presented as a unique circumstance that justifies a stay of execution.
Additionally, the Attorney-General contended that the Court of Appeal’s judgment had resulted in a significant miscarriage of justice and was fraught with material legal and factual errors. The appeal submitted to the Supreme Court claims to raise substantial and arguable legal issues with a strong likelihood of success.
To recap, Mrs Tamakloe was convicted in absentia by the Accra High Court on April 16, 2024, and sentenced to ten years in prison for offences including causing financial loss to the State, stealing, and money laundering. She had left Ghana during the trial, which proceeded in her absence, leading to subsequent extradition proceedings after her return from the United States in June 2026.
On July 30, 2026, the Court of Appeal unanimously granted her appeal, overturning her conviction and sentence, and acquitting her because the prosecution had not met the burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt. On that same day, the Attorney-General filed a notice of appeal against this decision and sought a stay of execution to prevent the acquittal order from taking effect while the Supreme Court reviews the case.
Until the Court of Appeal provides a ruling on this application, the legal status surrounding the enforcement of its judgment remains uncertain.
