Ghanaian government communications minister Felix Kwakye Ofosu says former Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) chief executive Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu remains in prison custody, despite the Court of Appeal acquitting and discharging her.
His comments came after Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie authorised the Court of Appeal to sit during the legal vacation to consider the Attorney-General’s application for a stay of execution of the judgment.
That application is due to be heard on 16 August.
Speaking to Umaru Sanda Amadu on Channel One TV’s Face to Face on Tuesday, 4 August, Kwakye Ofosu rejected suggestions that Tamakloe-Attionu had not been held by the prison authorities since her return to Ghana.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the day that Sedina landed in Ghana till the Court of Appeal made its pronouncements, she has always been in prison custody. So, the claims that she was home and was not kept by Prison authorities are blatantly false… Should we publish pictures or show videos before you believe that she was in prison?” he said.
The Minister of State in charge of Government Communications also said Tamakloe-Attionu had not been freed following the appellate court’s ruling.
“I can tell you Sedina has not been released; she’s still in custody,” he stressed.
The statement directly addressed claims about the former MASLOC chief executive’s whereabouts after she returned to Ghana. Kwakye Ofosu said she had remained in prison custody from the day she arrived in the country through to the Court of Appeal’s decision.
The Court of Appeal’s acquittal and discharge prompted the Attorney-General to seek a stay of execution while further legal proceedings are considered. The request means the court is being asked to suspend the effect of its judgment until the next stage of the legal process has been addressed.
Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie’s decision to allow the Court of Appeal to sit during the legal vacation means the application can be considered before the court’s normal proceedings resume.
The hearing has been scheduled for 16 August, when the court is expected to determine the Attorney-General’s request.
Until then, Kwakye Ofosu maintains that Tamakloe-Attionu remains in custody, despite the Court of Appeal having acquitted and discharged her.
