Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States, Victor Emmanuel Smith, has confirmed the arrest and detention of Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu, the convicted former Chief Executive Officer of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), by U.S. Marshals.
The development follows an extradition request submitted by Ghanaian authorities in July 2024, marking a significant step in efforts to bring her back to serve her sentence.
In a statement issued on Thursday, January 15, 2026, Ambassador Smith detailed that Tamakloe-Attionu was arrested on January 6, 2026, and is currently being held at the Nevada Southern Detention Centre located at 2190 East Mesquite Avenue in Pahrump, Nevada.
“My information is that she was detained by US Marshals on January 6th and has since been kept at that detention center. I am reliably informed that acting on an extradition request sent to the US Authorities sometime in July 2024, US Marshals arrested Mrs Tamakloe-Attionu and placed her in detention to await her day in court,” the statement read in part.
Tamakloe-Attionu, who served as MASLOC CEO during the first term of President Mahama, was convicted in absentia by an Accra High Court on April 16, 2024.
She was found guilty on 78 counts, including causing financial loss to the state, stealing, conspiracy to steal, money laundering, and violating the Public Procurement Act.
The court sentenced her to 10 years’ imprisonment with hard labour for embezzling GH¢3.19 million and causing a deliberate financial loss of GH¢1.97 million to the state.
Key aspects of the case included the misappropriation of over GH¢1.7 million intended for a sensitisation exercise, where funds were allocated for 85,300 beneficiaries at GH¢20 each, but only GH¢1,300 was used for the intended purpose.
Additionally, Tamakloe-Attionu and her co-accused, former MASLOC Chief Operating Officer Daniel Axim—who received a five-year sentence—were found to have withdrawn GH¢500,000 as a loan to Obaatampa Savings and Loans Company, only to demand its refund after the institution rejected a 24 percent interest rate, without reflecting the returned funds in MASLOC’s accounts.
The pair also made unauthorised commitments resulting in GH¢61.74 million in financial obligations for the government.
Tamakloe-Attionu fled to the United States prior to her sentencing, prompting Ghana to initiate extradition proceedings.
Her detention now paves the way for U.S. court proceedings to determine the outcome of the extradition request, with no specific timeline yet provided for her appearance.