The Minority Caucus in Parliament has accused government of interfering with the lawful imprisonment of former MASLOC Chief Executive Officer, Sedinam Tamakloe Attionu, insisting that she was not placed in prison custody until Wednesday, June 24, despite returning to Ghana 15 days earlier.
Addressing the media on behalf of the caucus, the Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, said the Minority conducted independent checks into the whereabouts of the former Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) boss following widespread public concerns and conflicting reports surrounding her incarceration.
According to him, their findings confirmed that Madam Tamakloe was not in prison custody from June 9, when she reportedly arrived in Ghana, until June 24.
“I did state that we would do an independent check to confirm the whereabouts of Madame Sedina Tamaklo. Indeed, we have done so. We can categorically state that until 24th of June, Madame Sedina Tamaklo was not in prison custody,” he stated.
“And so from the 9th of June when she arrived to the 24th of June, she was not in prison custody. That is a matter of record,” he added.
The Minority further disclosed that Madam Tamakloe was only admitted into prison custody on June 24 after increasing public scrutiny and media pressure over her status.
Mr. Baffour Awuah alleged that the government had initially attempted to avoid sending the former MASLOC CEO to prison and only acted after public criticism intensified.
According to him, the Minority has intelligence indicating that Madam Tamakloe entered prison custody under protest because she had allegedly been assured that arrangements were being made to overturn the court’s decision and preserve her liberty.
“One, our intelligence is that she went in under protest because her assurance was that they were not going to have her go into prison custody and that they were going to work around the clock to have the decision overturned so that she will have her liberty,” he said.
He further claimed that authorities had assured her that she would be released either after public pressure subsides or once a court decision is secured in her favour.
The Minority, however, declined to disclose the specific prison facility where she is being held, explaining that doing so could provide grounds for authorities to secretly relocate her under the guise of security concerns.
“We can again confirm that she is in the female prison of a medium prison installation, but we are not going to put the name of the facility out,” he stressed.
“We do not want to put the name of the facility out just to prevent the situation where they will come out and say that because of her security, they are moving her from the facility.”
The caucus accused government of showing favoritism toward members of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) who face corruption-related prosecutions, arguing that the handling of Madam Tamakloe’s case reflects a worrying trend.
The Manhyia South MP claimed that by allegedly delaying her imprisonment for 15 days, government had interfered with a lawful court order.
“Indeed, by preventing her from serving the prison term for the 15 days that she has been in Ghana, government has interfered with a lawful order of a court of competent jurisdiction, and that is contempt of court,” he alleged.
He further accused the government of selectively protecting politically exposed persons linked to the NDC whenever they encounter legal troubles.
“The trend cannot be that anytime an NDC member falls foul of the law, the person is protected and the person is prevented from or secured from facing the law,” he stated.
Mr. Baffour Awuah said Ghanaians are increasingly frustrated with what he described as the political class shielding allies accused of corruption while ordinary citizens face the full rigours of the law.
“The Ghanaian people are watching us very closely as political class. They are tired of the way and manner we protect or government protects their own when it comes to corruption and corruption-related cases,” he stressed.
He assured the public that the Minority Caucus would continue monitoring developments surrounding the case and keep Ghanaians updated.
“We are keeping an eye on the matter and will continue to update the general public,” he said.
The Minority maintained that transparency, accountability, and respect for the rule of law must prevail in the handling of all corruption-related matters irrespective of political affiliation.
By 1960news.com
