Manasseh Azure Questions Sedina Tamakloe’s Detention, Demands Transparency from Authorities

Investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has called on state authorities to provide clear information regarding the whereabouts and detention arrangements of former Chief Executive Officer of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu, following her recent extradition to Ghana.

Speaking on The Big Issue on Citi FM on Saturday, June 20, Manasseh expressed scepticism about claims that the convicted former MASLOC boss is currently in lawful custody, insisting that official communication on the matter has been inadequate.

According to him, longstanding concerns about the treatment of influential individuals convicted of crimes in Ghana have contributed to public distrust.

“Long before her return, I had heard—and many Ghanaians may have heard as well—that there is a system in this country where some influential people who are convicted and supposedly sent to prison do not actually end up serving their sentences in prison,” he stated.

He suggested that there is a widespread perception that some convicted persons are held in undisclosed locations and are occasionally moved in and out of custody, a situation he described as deeply troubling.

“It is a whole lot of mess,” he remarked.

Manasseh maintained that there is no justification for withholding information about the location of a convicted individual, arguing that authorities should openly disclose where such persons are being held.

“I do not think anything prevents this administration from telling us that this person arrived on a particular date and is being held at Nsawam Prison or at the Cantonments Police cells, where anyone can verify their presence,” he said.

He further argued that the lack of transparency only fuels public suspicion and weakens confidence in the country’s justice system.

“I do not think anything stops the government from being clear on that. Where there is no reason to conceal information and yet it is hidden, it only fuels suspicion,” he added.

The award-winning journalist stressed that he is unwilling to accept assurances about Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu’s detention without independent verification.

“As I sit here, I cannot trust that Sedina Tamakloe is in custody simply because someone tells me she is in custody. I do not trust that,” he stated.

He questioned why the authorities could not publicly indicate the exact facility where she is being held and the conditions under which she is serving her sentence.

“What prevents the government from telling us where she is, which prison or which police cells she is being kept in?” he asked.

Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu was convicted in absentia in 2024 and sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment after being found guilty of causing financial loss to the state and stealing. She was recently extradited from the United States and received by security officials upon her arrival in Ghana.

She is expected to begin serving her sentence following a protracted extradition process initiated by the Government of Ghana after she failed to return from a medical trip abroad during the trial.

This version follows a news-reporting style commonly used by major Ghanaian media outlets, with improved structure, attribution and neutrality.