The Attorney-General has withdrawn its application for a stay of execution before the Court of Appeal in the matter concerning former Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) Chief Executive Officer Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu, and has instead filed the application at the Supreme Court.

The Court of Appeal has struck out the withdrawn application. The Supreme Court has since assigned October 13 as the date for the hearing of the AG's application.

Background

Ms Tamakloe-Attionu was acquitted and discharged by the Court of Appeal on July 30, 2026, after a three-member panel ruled that the prosecution had failed to prove the charges against her beyond reasonable doubt, setting aside the convictions entered by the High Court.

The panel — Justice Emmanuel Ankamah, Justice Emmanuel Senyo Amedahe and Justice Samuel Obeng-Diawuo — criticised the trial court's approach, saying the judge had lost sight of the constitutional principle that an accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Ms Tamakloe had been convicted by the High Court in April 2024 on 78 counts, including stealing, conspiracy to steal, wilfully causing financial loss to the state, causing loss to public property, improper payment of public funds, unauthorised commitment and money laundering, arising from her tenure as MASLOC CEO.

She was extradited from the United States to Ghana on June 9, 2026, and began serving her 10-year sentence at the Nsawam Medium Security Female Prison on June 24.

Following the acquittal, the Attorney-General directed the Director of Public Prosecutions to appeal the Court of Appeal's decision at the Supreme Court and applied for a stay of execution pending the outcome.

A panel of Court of Appeal justices had said they would seek the Chief Justice's permission to sit during the legal vacation to determine the Attorney-General's application to halt her release, noting that without such an order, she would be released from custody in compliance with the acquittal.

The New Patriotic Party had described the acquittal as a "travesty of justice" and evidence of what it called a politicised justice system, while Attorney-General Dr Dominic Ayine defended the government's decision to challenge the acquittal, insisting the move was based on legal principles and accountability rather than personal or political considerations.

With the application to halt her release now withdrawn, Ms Tamakloe-Attionu's discharge from custody is expected to proceed in line with the Court of Appeal's July 30 ruling.