By Ashiadey Dotse
Former Chief Executive Officer of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Sedina Tamakloe Attionu, has arrived in Ghana following her extradition from the United States to serve a 10-year prison sentence imposed on her by the Accra High Court.
Ms. Tamakloe Attionu arrived at the Accra International Airport on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, aboard United Airlines flight UA 996 from Washington Dulles International Airport. She was immediately received by security officials and taken into custody.
Sources familiar with the process said she is currently undergoing debriefing and medical examinations before being transferred to the custody of the Ghana Prisons Service to begin serving her sentence.
Her return marks the end of a lengthy extradition process initiated by the Government of Ghana after she failed to return to the country following a medical trip to the United States while standing trial.
In 2024, the Accra High Court convicted Ms. Tamakloe Attionu in absentia on charges including causing financial loss to the state and stealing. The court sentenced her to 10 years in prison after finding that her actions during her tenure as MASLOC Chief Executive between 2013 and 2016 caused a financial loss of nearly GH¢90 million to the state.
The case stemmed from allegations of misappropriation and diversion of state funds at the government-funded microfinance institution.
Ms. Tamakloe Attionu had been granted permission by the court in 2021 to travel to the United States for medical treatment while her trial was ongoing. However, she did not return to Ghana to continue participating in the proceedings, prompting the court to continue the trial in her absence.
Following her conviction, Ghanaian authorities intensified efforts to secure her return. In 2025, the government formally requested her extradition from the United States.
The request was reviewed by a US District Court in Nevada. After examining the legal documents submitted by Ghanaian authorities, the court approved the extradition request, paving the way for her return to Ghana.
Her arrival is being viewed as a major development in one of Ghana’s most high-profile corruption-related cases involving a former public official.
Authorities are expected to complete the necessary administrative, security and medical procedures before transferring her to prison to begin serving her sentence.
Officials have not yet indicated whether any additional legal proceedings will follow her return.
The extradition has been welcomed by anti-corruption advocates, who see it as an important test of Ghana’s ability to pursue and secure the return of convicted public officials who leave the country while facing criminal proceedings.
The case is also being viewed as a landmark example of cooperation between Ghanaian and United States authorities in enforcing criminal judgments across international borders.
