The Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, has swiftly responded to the Court of Appeal’s acquittal of former MASLOC CEO Sedina Tamakloe Attionu by filing an urgent application for a stay of execution, seeking to keep the judgment in abeyance pending an appeal at the Supreme Court.
The application, filed on Thursday, July 30, came just hours after the Court of Appeal unanimously overturned Attionu’s conviction and 10-year prison sentence, ordering her acquittal and discharge on all charges. The Attorney-General is urging the Court of Appeal’s Criminal Division in Accra to suspend its judgment until the Supreme Court rules on the state’s appeal.
Principal State Attorney Hilda W. Craig filed the motion, supported by an affidavit from Assistant State Attorney Andrew Owusu-Agyemang. The affidavit recounts Attionu’s legal journey: arraigned before the High Court in February 2019 on charges including stealing and causing financial loss to the state, she left Ghana during her trial, leading to her conviction in absentia in April 2024 and a 10-year sentence with hard labour.
Attionu appealed her conviction in February 2026 while still abroad, but was extradited from the United States in June 2026 after a Nevada federal court approved her return. She began serving her sentence upon arrival in Ghana.
However, on July 30, 2026, a three-member Court of Appeal panel set aside her convictions, finding that the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt and emphasising the constitutional presumption of innocence.
Challenging the acquittal, the Attorney-General argues that the Court of Appeal’s decision resulted in a substantial miscarriage of justice, citing material errors of law and fact. The affidavit asserts that the Republic’s Supreme Court appeal raises substantial and arguable grounds with a real likelihood of success.
The Attorney-General warns that failing to grant a stay could render the appeal ineffective if Attionu’s acquittal is allowed to stand before the Supreme Court rules.
The application asks the Court of Appeal to suspend its July 30 judgment until the Supreme Court delivers a final decision. Court documents indicate that the application has been served on the Registrar of the Court of Appeal’s Criminal Division, Attionu at Nsawam Medium Security Prison, and the Director of the Ghana Prisons Service at Nsawam.
Attionu originally faced 78 charges, including conspiracy to steal, causing financial loss to the state, and money laundering. She was convicted in absentia in April 2024, but the appellate court’s ruling has now been challenged by the Attorney-General, who remains confident that the Supreme Court will overturn the acquittal.
Source: Apexnewsgh.com