Ghana’s Embassy in Washington, D.C., has confirmed the arrest and detention of former Chief Executive Officer of the Microfinance and Small Loans Cent
Ghana’s Embassy in Washington, D.C., has confirmed the arrest and detention of former Chief Executive Officer of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Mrs. Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu, by United States authorities.
In a statement dated January 15, 2026, and signed by Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States, Victor Emmanuel Smith, the Embassy said Mrs. Tamakloe-Attionu is currently being held at the Nevada Southern Detention Center in Pahrump, Nevada.
Madam Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu was arrested by U.S. Marshals on January 6, 2026, and has since been detained at the facility.
The Embassy explained that the arrest followed an extradition request submitted by Ghanaian authorities to the United States in July 2024.
According to Ambassador Victor Smith, the former MASLOC boss was taken into custody “to await her day in court,” as the extradition process proceeds.
Background
Mrs. Tamakloe-Attionu, a former MASLOC CEO, was sentenced in April 2024 to 10 years’ imprisonment with hard labour by an Accra High Court for causing financial loss to the state. The former Chief Operating Officer of MASLOC, Daniel Axim, was also sentenced to five years’ imprisonment.
The two were found guilty on multiple counts, including causing financial loss to the state, theft, conspiracy to steal, money laundering, and breaches of public procurement laws, relating to the misappropriation of MASLOC funds between 2013 and 2016.
Mrs. Tamakloe-Attionu was tried in absentia after she absconded while on leave abroad, having obtained court permission for a medical check-up. Her conviction and sentence later prompted efforts by Ghanaian authorities to secure her return to face the sentence.
COMMENTS