Former Deputy Attorney General Alfred Tuah-Yeboah has urged the public not to rely solely on the Court of Appeal’s judgment in the Sedina Tamakloe Attionu case, insisting that the entire trial record must be examined before conclusions are drawn about the merits of the case.
Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen, Mr Tuah-Yeboah argued that it would be difficult to conclude that the prosecution’s case against the former Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) Chief Executive Officer was fundamentally defective without reviewing all the evidence presented before the High Court.
“It would be very difficult to conclude that the case against Sedina Tamakloe was incurably defective. You cannot rely solely on the Court of Appeal’s judgment to reach that conclusion. You must read the entire record of proceedings before forming an opinion,” he said.
Mr Tuah-Yeboah, who served as Deputy Attorney General during part of the prosecution, explained that the trial had already been underway before he assumed office and outlined the sequence of events leading to Sedina Tamakloe’s conviction in absentia.
He said the case commenced in 2019 and that by the time Ms Tamakloe travelled abroad in 2021, several prosecution witnesses had already testified.
“Before I joined the Attorney General’s Department, the Sedina case was already in court. It started in 2019. By the time she said she was travelling in 2021, almost five witnesses had already testified,” he said.
According to him, the High Court waited more than 16 months for Ms Tamakloe to return before allowing the trial to proceed.
“The court waited for her for over 16 months. She was served through substituted service on her lawyers, at her place of residence and through publication in the Daily Graphic for 21 days,” he stated.
He explained that after the prosecution closed its case, Ms Tamakloe’s legal team did not file a submission of no case to answer. Instead, the co-accused challenged the prosecution’s case, but the court ruled that both accused persons had a case to answer.
Mr Tuah-Yeboah noted that while the co-accused opened his defence, Ms Tamakloe did not testify because she remained outside the jurisdiction.
He maintained that a proper assessment of the Court of Appeal’s decision requires a review of the High Court judgment, the record of appeal, documentary evidence and the forensic audit report presented during the trial.
“To determine whether the Court of Appeal’s decision was right or wrong, you have to obtain the High Court judgment, read the record of appeal, examine the documentary evidence and the forensic audit report. The Court of Appeal’s judgment is not the final word on the matter,” he said.
Mr Tuah-Yeboah also rejected suggestions that the charge sheet used in the prosecution was defective.
“I have gone through the charge sheet, and it would be difficult for me to identify any part that could be described as defective. Each count contained sufficient particulars, and even more details emerged during the trial,” he added.
His comments follow the Court of Appeal’s decision to acquit and discharge Ms Tamakloe-Attionu after ruling that the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt, overturning her earlier conviction by the High Court.
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