Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu, the former CEO of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), received a 10-year prison sentence that included hard labor.
In addition, Daniel Axim, the former Chief Operating Officer of MASLOC, was sentenced to five years in prison and hard labor.
On 78 charges, including conspiring to steal, inflicting financial loss to the state, money laundering, and breaking public procurement laws, the two were found guilty.
There were six witnesses called by the state in the 2019 trial. Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu fled after receiving court approval to receive medical treatment overseas, therefore she was tried in absentia. Daniel Axim did not call any witnesses; he only gave an in-person testimony.
The convictions result from the theft of money allotted for MASLOC operations from 2013 to 2016. Once, when the Obaatampa Savings and Loans company refused to give them a 24% interest rate, the prisoners withdrew GH₵500,000 as a loan and demanded a return. Despite the fact that there existed proof of the refund, MASLOC’s accounts did not show it.
Additionally, it was determined that the pair had stolen more than GH¢1.7 million meant for a sensitization campaign, of which only a small portion had been used for the original purpose. Similar to this, money intended to compensate victims of a fire at Kantamanso was not entirely disbursed; a sizeable amount was pilfered by the defendants.
The lawsuit also included spending more money than was reasonable at the time to buy cars and Samsung phones for MASLOC.
Evidence revealed that the amounts paid were more than market rates even if they were purchased in bulk.
