The Attorney-General has withdrawn an application filed at the Court of Appeal seeking to halt the release of former Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) Chief Executive Officer, Christine Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu, from prison custody.
The Court of Appeal subsequently struck out the application as withdrawn after the State informed the court on Wednesday, August 12, that it had filed a notice of withdrawal on August 10.
The application had sought to stay the execution of the court’s decision acquitting and discharging Mrs Tamakloe-Attionu, pending the determination of a further appeal by the State.
The Attorney-General had argued that allowing the acquittal to take immediate effect could create an opportunity for Mrs Tamakloe-Attionu to leave the jurisdiction, potentially making it difficult for the State to pursue its appeal.
The withdrawal comes as the State proceeds with its challenge to the acquittal at the Supreme Court.
However, lawyers for Mrs Tamakloe-Attionu questioned the manner in which the application was withdrawn, arguing that the Attorney-General should have sought the court’s permission before filing the notice.
Counsel for the former MASLOC CEO, Sidney Antonio, said the defence was particularly concerned because the Court of Appeal had already scheduled Wednesday for the delivery of its ruling on the application.
“Today’s date was given by the court for the court to deliver its ruling, and we were just served yesterday with a notice of withdrawal. We believe the proper thing should have been for the Attorney-General to have sought leave of the court before going ahead and withdraw because today’s business was for delivering of ruling and that should have gone on today,” he said.
Mr Antonio was also asked about reports that the Attorney-General had filed a similar application at the Supreme Court following the withdrawal of the Court of Appeal application.
He said the defence had not received formal service of any such application.
“We have not been served formally with any such motion, but as you have heard we have also heard about it,” he said.
The development follows the Court of Appeal’s decision in July 2026 to overturn the 10-year prison sentence imposed on Mrs Tamakloe-Attionu by the Accra High Court in April 2024.
The appellate court acquitted and discharged her after concluding that the prosecution had failed to prove its case.
Mrs Tamakloe-Attionu had been convicted on 78 counts, including stealing, causing financial loss to the state and money laundering, and sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment with hard labour.
Following the acquittal, the Attorney-General initiated steps to challenge the Court of Appeal’s decision at the Supreme Court.
