The Minority in Parliament has countered government claims that former Chief Executive Officer of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu, was placed in prison custody immediately after her return to Ghana.
According to the Minority, the convicted former MASLOC boss was admitted into prison custody only on June 24, despite arriving in the country on June 9 to begin serving a 10-year prison sentence.
The allegation directly contradicts earlier remarks by the Minister of State in charge of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, who had indicated that Tamakloe had been in prison custody following her extradition to Ghana.
Addressing journalists in Parliament on Thursday June 25, member of the Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, accused the government of interfering with the execution of a valid court sentence by allegedly allowing Tamakloe to remain outside prison custody for about two weeks after her arrival.
“We can categorically state that until yesterday, June 24, Madam Sedina Tamakloe was not in prison custody. From June 9, when she arrived, to June 24, she was not in prison custody. That is a matter of record,” he said.
The lawmaker argued that the delay in committing Tamakloe to prison custody amounted to interference with a lawful court order.
“By preventing her from serving the prison term for the 15 days that she has been in Ghana, government has interfered with a lawful order of a court of competent jurisdiction, and that is contempt of court. The government will only do that because Madame Sedina Tamakloe is one of its own, and that has been the trend,” he stated.
Mr. Awuah further disclosed that Tamakloe was eventually transferred to prison custody on June 24.
“She is in prison custody now. She was admitted yesterday, and she has been given assurances. Another assurance she has been given is that they are going to work around the clock to have the decision overturned,” he added.
The latest claims by the Minority add a new dimension to the controversy surrounding Tamakloe’s return to Ghana and the implementation of her prison sentence.
