Defective Charge Sheet Secured Sedina Tamakloe’s Freedom, Lawyer Explains Appeal Victory

The Court of Appeal in Ghana has overturned the conviction and sentence of Sedina Tamakloe Attionu, the former Chief Executive Officer of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), citing a defective charge sheet as the primary reason for their decision.

Acquittal Victory for Sedina Tamakloe Attionu

Sedina Tamakloe Attionu's lawyer, Enoch Deegbe, revealed that his client remains in prison custody and is yet to be informed of the Court of Appeal's decision to overturn her conviction and sentence. Tamakloe was convicted in absentia on April 16, 2024, and sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment with hard labour on 78 counts including stealing, conspiracy to steal, causing financial loss to the state, money laundering, and contravention of the Public Procurement Act.

Defective Charge Sheet Led to Acquittal

The defence team argued that the charges used to prosecute Tamakloe were defective and failed to provide sufficient details about the offences she was accused of committing. They cited Supreme Court and Court of Appeal decisions establishing that defective particulars of offence are fatal to a conviction and cannot be cured by evidence. The Court of Appeal's unanimous decision sets aside the April 2024 judgment of Justice Afia Serwaa Asare-Botwe at the High Court, with the appellate court concluding that the prosecution's case fell short of the legal standard required to sustain the convictions.

Key Argument: Defective Charge Sheet

Speaking moments after the ruling, Deegbe explained that the appellate court based its decision primarily on one key argument: that the charge sheet used to prosecute his client was fundamentally defective. "In terms of strategy, we had come essentially on three main grounds," Deegbe said. "On the fact that the charge sheet itself was defective. And then secondly, that in fact there was no prima facie determination against our client, and then of course we also attacked the judgment itself."

"These were the grounds, but as you may have already heard, the court only read their conclusion, and they only dwelt on the first leg of our submission, which was the defective charge sheet," he stated.

Next Steps for Sedina Tamakloe Attionu

When asked about the state of his client following the judgment, Deegbe said: "I'm yet to speak to her, but as we all know, she's in cell one, and I'm sure she may have already heard the news. So I'm sure she'll be happy." The former MASLOC CEO has been in prison custody since her return to Ghana on June 9, 2026. Her lawyer indicated that he is yet to receive instructions from his client on whether to pursue civil action against the state following her acquittal.

Possibility of Compensation

Private legal practitioner Justice Abdullai suggested that Tamakloe could be entitled to compensation following her acquittal, noting that "once you win not only on a technical basis but on the merit of the case, you are entitled to compensation if you do apply for same at the Court of Appeal or Supreme Court."

Co-Accused Daniel Axim Remains on Bail

Daniel Axim, Tamakloe's co-accused who was sentenced to five years' imprisonment, remains out on bail pending his appeal. On January 14, 2026, the Supreme Court granted him bail in the sum of GH¢500,000 with two sureties. He has served nearly two years of his sentence. Following the Court of Appeal's decision to acquit and discharge Tamakloe on similar grounds, legal observers suggest he may also ultimately be acquitted and discharged.

Sedina Tamakloe Attionu's lawyer, Enoch Deegbe, will now sit with his client to discuss the next steps, including the possibility of pursuing compensation. The Court of Appeal's decision has raised questions about the quality of evidence presented by the prosecution and the potential implications for other cases involving similar charges.

Source: JOY