Las vegas: Former Chief Executive Officer of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Sedina Tamakloe Attionu, has been ordered into the custody of the United States Marshals as her extradition to Ghana moves forward.
According to Ghana Web, a United States District Court in Nevada, presided over by Magistrate Judge Daniel J Albregts, certified the extradition request after finding sufficient legal grounds and probable cause for her conviction on multiple financial crimes. The court's decision was based on the findings under 18 U.S.C. 3184, which led to the certification of Attionu's extradition to Ghana on numerous charges. These include 25 counts of Stealing, 9 counts of Conspiracy to Steal, 20 counts of Willfully Causing Financial Loss to the State, 11 counts of Conspiracy to Willfully Cause Financial Loss, 3 counts of Causing Loss to Public Property, and 4 counts of Money Laundering.
The court ruled that Attionu should remain in the custody of the United States Marshal pending a further decision on her extradition and surrender by the Secretary of State, as per 18 U.S.C. and 3186. Attionu was convicted in absentia by an Accra High Court in 2024 and sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment for causing nearly GHS90 million in financial losses during her tenure as MASLOC CEO between 2013 and 2016.
She had not returned to Ghana after being granted permission in 2021 to travel to the United States for medical treatment, leading to her trial in her absence. Ghana's government formally began extradition proceedings in 2025, culminating in the US court's certification of the request.
The final decision now lies with the US Secretary of State, who will determine whether Attionu will be surrendered to Ghana to serve her sentence.