Government has dragged to court a former Chief Executive Officer of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Sedina Christine Tamakloe Attionu, together with a former Operations Manager of the Centre, Daniel Axim.
The two have been charged with 80 counts of stealing, money laundering, causing financial loss to the state among others.
Sedina Christine Tamakloe Attionu according to writ sighted by citinewsroom.com “dishonestly appropriated the sum of GH¢84,000, the property of MASLOC” on or about 13th April 2016 in Accra.
On that offense, she has been charged with “stealing contrary to section 124(1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).”
Sedina and Daniel Axim have also been accused of agreeing “to act together with a common purpose to steal the sum of GH¢114,000 the property of MASLOC” on or about 16th June 2016.”
For this offense, both have been charged with “conspiracy to commit crime namely stealing contrary to sections 23(1) and 124(1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).”
Sedina Tamakloe Attionu was the CEO of MASLOC from November 2013 to January 2017.
MASLOC is a government agency set up to assist small and medium scale businesses with low-interest loans.
Sedina was dragged to court following revelations in a forensic audit into the operations of MASLOC under the Mahama government done by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).
The report was initiated when the current CEO, Stephen Amoah, took charge of the Centre.
The report, among other things, revealed that MASLOC invested an amount of GHc 500,000 in a 91-day fixed deposit with Obaatampa Microfinance Company Limited, at an interest rate of 25% per annum on July 24, 2014.
The former CEO, Sedina Tamakloe, in a letter dated August 28, 2014, however instructed the microfinance company to terminate the investment and pay back the amount. But the report established that the money which was repaid cannot be traced.
The auditors recommended that Mrs. Sedina Tamakloe “should be held responsible for the refund of the amount of GHS 500,000 with interest in accordance with regulations 61(5) of the Financial Management Act, 2003 (654).”
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By: citinewsroom.com | Ghana
