A United States District Court has certified the extradition of former Chief Executive Officer of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Sedina Tamakloe Attionu, to Ghana following her conviction for multiple financial crimes.
The ruling, delivered by U.S. Magistrate Judge Daniel J. Albregts in Nevada, determined that there is sufficient legal basis for her extradition.
“Probable cause exists to believe that Sedina Tamakloe committed the offences for which extradition is sought,” the court stated.
The court further ordered that Attionu be remanded into the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending a final decision on her extradition by the U.S. Secretary of State.
The certification covers a broad range of charges, including 25 counts of stealing, nine counts of conspiracy to steal, 20 counts of wilfully causing financial loss to the state, 11 counts of conspiracy to cause financial loss, three counts of causing loss to public property, and four counts of money laundering.
The extradition request follows her conviction in 2024 by an Accra High Court, which sentenced her in absentia to 10 years’ imprisonment for causing financial loss of nearly GH¢90 million to the state during her tenure as MASLOC CEO between 2013 and 2016.
Attionu failed to return to Ghana after being granted permission by the High Court in 2021 to travel to the United States for medical treatment. Her continued absence led to the trial proceeding in her absence, culminating in her conviction and sentencing.
In 2025, the Government of Ghana initiated formal extradition proceedings, leading to the U.S. court’s certification.
Legal experts note that such certification confirms that the requirements under U.S. extradition law have been satisfied, including the existence of probable cause and the validity of the charges under the relevant treaty.
If approved by the U.S. Secretary of State, Attionu will be extradited to Ghana to serve her sentence and face full enforcement of the court’s ruling.
, Sedina Tamakloe Attionu, to Ghana following her conviction for multiple financial crimes.){kind=link}