Former Chief Executive Officer of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Sedinam Tamakloe-Attionu, has reportedly been detained at the Nevada Southern Detention Centre in the United States.
Her arrest was revealed in a statement issued by Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States, Emmanuel Victor Smith, dated Thursday, January 15, 2026.
According to the statement, “My information is that she was detained by US Marshals on January 6th and has since been kept at that detention centre. I am reliably informed that, acting on an extradition request sent to the US Authorities sometime in July 2024, US Marshals arrested Mrs. Tamakloe-Attionu and placed her in detention to await her day in court.”
In April 2024, the Accra High Court (Financial and Economic Division) sentenced Tamakloe-Attionu to 10 years in prison after she was found guilty of causing financial loss to the state.
Her co-accused, Daniel Axim, the former Chief Operating Officer of MASLOC, was also convicted and handed a five-year jail term with hard labour.
Both individuals were found guilty on 78 counts, including causing financial loss to the state, theft, conspiracy to steal, money laundering, and violations of public procurement laws.
The case, which commenced in 2019, included testimony from six prosecution witnesses. Tamakloe-Attionu was tried in absentia after travelling abroad for medical treatment, while Axim appeared in court but did not call any witnesses.
The charges stemmed from the alleged misappropriation of MASLOC funds between 2013 and 2016. One notable issue involved the withdrawal of GH¢500,000 as a loan for Obaatampa Savings and Loans. After the institution declined to offer a 24% interest rate, the money was said to have been recalled. Although repayment evidence was found, it reportedly did not appear in MASLOC’s financial records.
The court also determined that the two diverted over GH¢1.7 million allocated for a nationwide sensitisation programme, with only a fraction of the funds reaching their intended beneficiaries. Additionally, money intended for victims of the Kantamanso fire disaster was not fully disbursed, with a significant portion allegedly retained by the accused.
Another key issue in the prosecution’s case involved the procurement of vehicles and Samsung mobile phones at prices far above prevailing market rates at the time, despite the items being purchased in bulk.
