Former Deputy Attorney-General Alfred Tuah-Yeboah has criticised the Court of Appeal’s decision to acquit and discharge former Chief Executive Officer of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Sedina Tamakloe Attionu, describing the ruling as a significant blow to Ghana’s efforts to combat corruption.
His comments come after the Court of Appeal overturned Ms. Attionu’s 2024 conviction and 10-year prison sentence.
The appellate court set aside the conviction and acquitted the former MASLOC Chief Executive Officer after identifying what it described as defects in the charge sheet and aspects of the trial proceedings.
Ms. Attionu had been convicted over allegations relating to the misappropriation of MASLOC funds during her tenure as Chief Executive Officer.
Speaking to Class News, Mr. Tuah-Yeboah said he was “sad but not surprised” by the Court of Appeal’s decision, maintaining that the prosecution had presented overwhelming evidence during the trial.
He argued that if the appellate court found flaws in the charge sheet, the appropriate course of action should have been to order a retrial rather than acquit and discharge the former MASLOC boss.
Mr. Tuah-Yeboah insisted that the prosecution had established its case beyond reasonable doubt and urged the Attorney-General to conduct a thorough review of the Court of Appeal’s judgment.
He cautioned that the ruling could create an undesirable legal precedent and weaken the country’s anti-corruption efforts.
The former Deputy Attorney-General also appealed to civil society organisations, anti-corruption campaigners and the media to closely examine both the High Court and Court of Appeal judgments, stressing that corruption-related cases should not be overturned on political grounds.
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