Mixed reactions in Volta Region over acquittal of ex-MASLOC boss

Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu, former Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) Chief Executive Officer, was acquitted and discharged by the Court of Appeal, overturning her 10-year prison sentence. The three-member panel ruled that the prosecution failed to prove the charges beyond reasonable doubt and that the trial court improperly shifted the burden of proof onto the accused. This decision has triggered mixed reactions among residents and political actors in the Volta Region.

In Ho, some residents and political actors welcomed the decision as a vindication, while others expressed concern that the ruling could affect public confidence in efforts to hold public officials accountable. Mr. Bright Kugbadzor, Deputy Volta Regional Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), described Madam Tamakloe-Attionu as a "political prisoner" and said her conviction was part of a political witch-hunt. He stated, "Her discharge clearly shows that the judiciary is free from executive manipulation." Mr. Bright Kwame Nyatsikor, a parliamentary candidate for the Adaklu Constituency, expressed a different view, arguing that the development could set a worrying precedent in the country's fight against corruption.