Former Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, has rejected assertions attempting to hold the previous administration accountable for the acquittal and discharge of former Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) Chief Executive Officer, Sedina Tamakloe Attionu.
In a press statement, Mr Dame described the claims by government communicators and agents of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) as a “false and devious narrative” calculated to shift responsibility. He maintained that official records from the legal proceedings contradict the assertions being circulated.
Detailing the timeline of the appellate process, the former Attorney-General stated that his office was never served with any notice of appeal following Madam Attionu’s conviction. According to him, state prosecutors only became aware of the proceedings when the Court of Appeal requested written submissions.
“No notice of an appeal filed by Sedina Attionu in 2024 came to the attention of the Office of Attorney-General in my tenure. State attorneys in both oral and written submissions indicated this fact to the Court of Appeal in April 2026 – that they had not been served with a notice of the appeal and that, they became aware of the proceedings only after the Court of Appeal directed the Parties to file their written submissions,” Mr Dame explained.
He noted that primary efforts under his tenure focused on securing the convict’s extradition to Ghana to serve her prison sentence. He highlighted that the United States District Court of Nevada validated the extradition request on 9th April 2026, committing Madam Attionu to custody pending her return.
Mr Dame pointed out that during the extradition proceedings in the US, no reference was made to a pending appeal in Ghana.
He added that the defense team only secured leave to file written submissions in February 2026, after he had vacated office.
“My understanding is that the prosecuting state attorneys were surprised when they were served with the written submissions of the accused/appellant on 16th February, 2026 because they had no prior notice of the pendency of any proceedings,” he stated.
The former Minister criticized the current administration’s handling of corruption prosecutions, characterizing the outcome of the case as part of a systematic pattern to discontinue matters involving government affiliates.
“The development is consistent with the predilection of the Attorney-General to discontinue all cases which were being prosecuted against leading members and affiliates of the NDC. It smacks of an orchestration to clear the lady of her felonious acts and highlights the growing perception of Ghana’s current justice system – two sets of law for two sets of people,” Mr Dame declared.
He called on the public to hold the state prosecution mechanism to higher standards, warning against selective justice and the compromise of established legal procedures.
