Former MASLOC CEO Sedina Attionu extradited to Ghana to serve 10-year jail sentence

June 9, 2026

Former Chief Executive Officer of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Sedina Tamakloe Attionu, has returned to Ghana after being extradited from the United States to serve a 10-year prison sentence imposed by the Accra High Court.

Sedina Attionu arrived at the Accra International Airport on Tuesday, June 9, aboard United Airlines flight UA 996, which landed at about 9:01 a.m. after departing from Washington Dulles International Airport in the United States.

Sources familiar with the process said she was met by security officials upon arrival and immediately taken into custody. She is currently undergoing routine medical checks and debriefing procedures before being transferred to prison authorities to begin serving her sentence.

Her extradition follows a prolonged legal and diplomatic process initiated by the Government of Ghana after she failed to return to the country following a medical trip to the United States.

In 2024, the Accra High Court convicted Sedina Attionu in absentia on several charges, including causing financial loss to the state and stealing. The court found that actions during her tenure as MASLOC CEO between 2013 and 2016 resulted in a financial loss of nearly GH¢90 million to the state.

The case arose from allegations of misappropriation and misuse of public funds during her leadership of the state-backed microfinance institution.

Sedina Attionu had been granted permission by the High Court in 2021 to travel to the United States for medical treatment while the trial was ongoing. However, she did not return to continue participating in the proceedings, leading the court to proceed with the trial in her absence.

Following her conviction, Ghanaian authorities intensified efforts to secure her return, formally submitting an extradition request to the United States in 2025.

The request was later reviewed by a US District Court in Nevada, which approved the extradition after examining the legal documentation submitted by Ghanaian authorities.

Her return is being viewed as a major milestone in one of Ghana’s most prominent corruption-related prosecutions involving a former public official.

Authorities are expected to complete all required administrative, security, and medical processes before handing her over to the Ghana Prisons Service to begin serving the custodial sentence.

Officials have not yet indicated whether additional legal proceedings may follow her return, but the extradition is expected to mark the conclusion of a case that has attracted national attention for several years.

Anti-corruption campaigners have described the development as a significant test of Ghana’s ability to track down and return convicted public officials who leave the country while facing criminal prosecution.

Sedina Attionu’s extradition is also being seen as an important example of cooperation between Ghanaian and US authorities in enforcing criminal judgments across borders.