Former MASLOC CEO charged with 80 counts of stealing and causing financial loss to the state

- Former MASLOC CEO, Sedina Christine Tamakloe Attionu, has been charged with 80 counts of stealing and causing financial loss to the state

- A former operations manager of MASLOC, Daniel Axim, is also facing the similar charges.

- They will be arraigned before a court in February 2019 so that their pleas would be taken

The former chief executive officer (CEO) of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Sedina Christine Tamakloe Attionu, has been charged with 80 counts of stealing and causing financial loss to the state.

Starrfmonline reports that a former operations manager of MASLOC, Daniel Axim, is also facing the same charges.

According to the brief facts as contained in the Charge Sheet filed at the Registry of the Criminal Division of the High Court in Accra, in 2017, the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) conducted investigations into certain fraudulent disbursements of MASLOC funds involving the 1st and 2nd accused persons.

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The investigations, the state says, revealed that in June 2014, MASLOC invested an amount of GH¢150,000 in Obaatanpa Micro-Finance Company Limited (Obaatanpa), a licenced Tier II microfinance company located at Ejura in the Ashanti Region.

Thereafter, the 1st accused person offered Obaatanpa another sum of of GH¢500,000. As a result, a MASLOC Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) cheque dated July 24, 2014, in the sum of GH¢500,000, was withdrawn in favour of Obaatanpa.

Soon after Obaatanpa received the MASLOC cheque, the 1st accused person informed its board chairman that the investment amount of GH¢500,000 would attract 24% interest.

Obaatanpa decided to return the amount to MASLOC since the interest rate demanded was excessive and unprofitable for its business, and issued a cheque in refund of the loan amount.

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Again, in November 2016, MASLOC procured 200 pieces of Samsung B310 mobile dual sim phones under a project called PINCO Project Market Survey.

Investigations revealed that although the actual open market price of the phones was GH¢24,400, the 1st accused person purchased them at the inflated price of GH¢93,412.

Additional checks also revealed that, in January 2017, the 1st accused person, without the requisite approval and authorization, caused to be paid to herself and her deputy, one Mustapha Abubakar Batalima, the sums of GH¢135,592.33 and GH¢82,218.76 respectively as ex-gratia.

Furthermore, in the same month, the 1st accused person caused to be paid to herself and her deputy cash payments in the sums of GH¢28,445.94 and GH¢27,486.62 respectively, purportedly in lieu of leave, in contravention of the law.

Barring any changes, the accused persons are expected to be arraigned for their charges to be read to them and for their plea to be taken on Monday 4th of February, 2019.

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Source: YEN.com.gh