Sedina Christine Tamakloe Attionu
Some former appointees of the erstwhile John Mahama administration besieged the new court complex yesterday to show solidarity for the former Chief Executive Officer of the Microfinance & Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Sedina Christine Tamakloe Attionu, who has been charged with stealing state funds.
Former Attorney General, Marietta Brew
Appiah-Oppong, former First National Vice Chairman of the NDC, Betty Mould-Iddrisu
and Spokesperson for Mr. Mahama, Joyce Bawah Mogtari, were all in court to
throw their support behind the MASLOC boss.
The three appear to be heeding the call by
former President Mahama, who urged party supporters to show solidarity to
members of the parties who will be dragged to court.
Last year, the former president, on many
platforms, called for support for his appointees who may be dragged to court
for their alleged involvement in crimes while at post.
Some party faithful have since that call stormed
various court rooms to support some appointees of the Mahama-led NDC era for
various crimes.
The latest to be hauled before court is the
former MASLOC boss Sedina Attionu, who is being accused of causing GH¢93,044,134.66
financial loss to the state.
Charged along Sedina Attionu is Daniel Axim, who
was the former Operations Manager at MASLOC, under whose watch the alleged
misuse of public funds took place.
Selective
Solidarity
An Accra High Court (Financial and Economic
Division) was packed to capacity when the former MASLOC boss made her first
appearance.
The former NDC appointees were there in their
numbers, as one of their own was being charged for allegedly stealing money
from the state while in office.
Interestingly, the former Board Chairman of the
National Communications Authority (NCA), Eugene Baffoe-Bonnie, and four others
who are on trial for conspiring to, and successfully causing financial loss to
the state have been left to their fate.
Hardly do any of these former Mahama appointees
make an appearance in court when their case is called.
Ms. Attionu, however, seems to have found favour
with core Mahama appointees who were in court in their numbers, just as they do
in the trial former CEO of COCOBOD, Dr. Stephen Kwabena Opuni.
The former president has been rumoured to be
gearing up to storm the court to show solidarity to his favoured appointee.
Marietta Brew Appiah-Opong and Betty Mould-Iddrisu
occupied the front seat as the charges were read and the pleas of the accused
persons taken.
Also present were Joyce Bawa Mogtari and former
Minister of Youth & Sports, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah.
Charges
Together, the two are facing 78 counts of
charges, including conspiracy to steal, stealing, unauthorised commitment,
resulting in a financial obligation for the government improper payment, money
laundering and contravention of the Public Procurement Act.
The two accused persons allegedly stole a total
amount of GH¢3,198,280 while at MASLOC and willfully caused a GH¢1,973,780
financial loss to the state.
Again, Ms. Attionu and her accomplice while in
charge of MASLOC allegedly made unauthorised commitments resulting in financial
obligations for the government to the tune of GH¢61,735,832.50.
The charges against the two also include
GH¢22,158,118.85 loss to public property and improper payment of GH¢273,743.66,
as well as money laundering of GH¢3,704,380 while in charge.
Per the facts read by the Attorney General,
Gloria Afua Akuffo, Ms. Attionu misappropriated an amount of GH¢500,000 of
MASLOC money invested in Obaatanpa Micro-Finance Company Limited (Obaatanpa
which was later withdrawn due to 24 per cent interest demanded).
She said the former MASLOC boss rejected a
cheque issued by Obaatanpa covering the money and instead demanded that the
money be refunded in cash.
Interestingly, Ms. Attionu met the Board
Chairman of Obaatanpa at Baatsona filling station in Accra during the night
where she took the cash sum of GH¢500,000.00 which never went to MASLOC.
They all stayed behind till the end of the court
proceedings but could not wait to see the accused persons execute the bail
terms.
Ms. Attionu has been granted bail in the sum of GH¢5 million with two sureties while Daniel Axim’s bail terms were set at GH¢1 million with one surety.
BY Gibril Abdu Razak
