A member of the NPP Communication Team in the Tema East Constituency, Samuel Darkwa, has suggested that he would not be surprised if former Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) Chief Executive Officer, Sedinam Tamakloe Attionu, is granted a presidential pardon at some point while serving her 10-year prison sentence.
Speaking on Nkosuo Nsem on Plan B FM with Kofi Sekyi, Mr. Darkwa alleged that the NDC government has a history of granting clemency to individuals convicted of criminal offences and protecting persons accused of wrongdoing.
His comments come in the wake of Attionu’s arrival in Ghana following her extradition from the United States to serve a 10-year jail term imposed by the Accra High Court in 2024.
Attionu arrived at the Accra International Airport on Tuesday, June 9, aboard United Airlines flight UA 996 and was subsequently taken into custody by security officials. She is currently undergoing the necessary administrative and medical procedures before being transferred to begin serving her sentence.
The former MASLOC CEO was convicted in absentia on charges including causing financial loss to the state and stealing. The court found that her actions during her tenure between 2013 and 2016 resulted in a financial loss of nearly GH¢90 million to the state.
Mr. Darkwa argued that given the NDC’s return to power, there is a possibility that Attionu could eventually benefit from executive clemency. He cited the Mahama administration’s decision to host two Yemeni detainees from the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Ghana under a humanitarian resettlement agreement with the United States as an example of what he described as controversial decisions taken by the government.
He also referenced a United States-based social commentator, Kevin Taylor whom he described as a sympathizer of the current administration, claiming that despite facing legal challenges and being accused of making offensive remarks against several public figures, the individual has enjoyed what he termed favourable treatment from government officials.
According to Mr. Darkwa, such instances reinforce his belief that the NDC administration has often been perceived as protective of individuals accused or convicted of wrongdoing.
He maintained that while Attionu has been extradited to serve her sentence, Ghanaians should closely monitor developments to ensure that the judicial process is allowed to run its full course without political interference.
Attionu’s return follows a lengthy extradition process initiated after she failed to return to Ghana following a medical trip to the United States. She had been granted permission by the High Court in 2021 to seek medical treatment abroad while her trial was ongoing but did not return to continue participating in the proceedings, leading to her conviction in absentia.
By: Bernard Mensah |Planbfmonline.com
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