Glaring miscarriage of justice - Edem Agbana on trial in absentia of former MASLOC boss

Edem Agbana, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate for the Ketu North constituency, has criticized the absentia conviction and sentencing of former CEO of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Sedina Christine Tamakloe Attionu, to 10 years imprisonment for causing financial loss to the state.

According to him, the sentence can be described as a miscarriage of justice and a dent in the justice delivery system.

Speaking on a panel discussion on TV3 on April 17, 2024, Agbana asserted that while the NDC does not condone misconduct by public officials, it believes in fair and lawful proceedings.

Agbana highlighted Article 19(3) of the 1992 Constitution, which mandates that criminal proceedings must be conducted in the presence of the accused.

“The NDC as a party believes in the principles of probity. We also believe in the principle of accountability and we believe as a party that public officials must account for their stewardship whether past or present.

“We have nothing against the prosecution of public officials because we believe that when you are given the opportunity to serve this country, you must do that in accordance with the law,” he said.

He argued that the absence of Sedina Tamakloe during the trial constituted a violation of her constitutional rights, despite having expressly asked for the court's permission to seek medical treatment abroad.

“However, criminal trials and criminal proceedings are supposed to be done in accordance with the law. Our position is that where we are today with the facts available to us, what happened in court yesterday was a glaring miscarriage of justice and a dent ... on our justice delivery system.

“Article 19(3) of our 1992 constitution provides that during criminal proceedings or trials, it must be done in the presence of the accused, and in the present case, the basic understanding of law means either physically and also must be present or mentally. It means the person must be able to follow the proceedings fully.

“But in this case, Madam Sedina Christine Tamakloe Attionu followed or was going to court religiously until she felt sick and her lawyers sought permission from the court for her to travel abroad for medical attention,” he added.

Sedina Christine Tamakloe Attionu has been sentenced together with the former Chief Operating Officer of MASLOC, Daniel Axim, who is to spend five years behind bars with hard labour.

They were both found guilty on 78 counts of causing financial loss to the state, stealing, conspiracy to steal, money laundering, and causing loss to public property in contravention of the public procurement law.

The two have been on trial since 2019.

According to a report by citinewsroom.com, the state called six witnesses in all, with Sedina Tamakloe tried in absentia since she absconded after obtaining the permission of the Accra High Court to seek a medical checkup outside the country.

Prosecuting Sedina Christine Tamakloe in her absence was a miscarriage of justice. I believe that when she has her day in court and appeals this decision, it will be overturned - @edemagbana on the former MASLOC CEO sentenced to 10 years in prison.#TV3NewDay pic.twitter.com/Tip5sOpu0z

— #TV3GH (@tv3_ghana) April 17, 2024