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Former Chief Executive Officer of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu, is expected to appear before a United States court on January 21, 2026, as part of proceedings to determine whether she will be extradited to Ghana.
Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States, Victor Emmanuel Smith, confirmed the development during an interview on Citi Eyewitness News on Friday, January 16. He disclosed that Tamakloe-Attionu is currently in the custody of the Nevada Southern Detention Center following her arrest by US Marshals.
According to Ambassador Smith, officials from the Ghanaian government and the embassy have so far been restricted from visiting her, although the reasons for this decision have not been officially communicated.
“She was arrested by the US Marshals after an extradition request submitted by the Government of Ghana in 2024 was activated. She is being held until she appears before a judge on the 21st, who will decide whether the extradition should proceed,” he explained.
He added that Tamakloe-Attionu’s legal team would be given the opportunity to present arguments against her extradition during the court hearing, should there be grounds to oppose her transfer to Ghana.
Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu was detained on January 7, 2026, after US authorities acted on the extradition request initiated by Ghana’s Attorney-General in July 2024.
Background
In April 2024, an Accra High Court convicted Tamakloe-Attionu in absentia on 78 counts, including causing financial loss to the state, stealing, conspiracy to steal, money laundering, and breaches of the Public Procurement Act. She was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment with hard labour.
Her co-accused, former MASLOC Chief Operating Officer Daniel Axim, was also convicted and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment with hard labour.
The case involved the misappropriation of funds between 2013 and 2016, including over GH¢1.7 million meant for a MASLOC sensitisation exercise and GH¢1.4 million allocated to victims of the Kantamanso fire disaster. The court also found evidence of inflated procurement costs for vehicles and mobile phones.
Tamakloe-Attionu was tried in absentia after failing to return to Ghana while on medical leave abroad. The upcoming US court appearance marks a key stage in efforts to return her to Ghana to serve her sentence.
