TNR Files
Lawyer Oliver Barker Vormawor has dismissed the Attorney General’s U-turn from the stay of execution it filed on July 30, 2026, in response to the Court of Appeal’s unanimous acquittal and discharge of former MASLOC CEO, Sedina Tamakloe Ationu, and its subsequent decision to pursue an appeal over the same case at the Supreme Court.
Like many observers, he appears to estimate the development as a comedy of errors that is ultimately destined to end up as a jump to nowhere.
The renowned human rights champion and anti-corruption crusader sees the AG’s strategy as a desperate attempt to polish the “turd” left behind by his predecessor, Godfred Yeboah Dame.
In a statement released through his social media handle, Lawyer Vormawor decried the new move as shenanigans that devised to unjustifiably keep Sedina incarcerated, as part of the State’s tactics to make her a scapegoat for former Attorney General, Godfred Dame’s monumental incompetence.
“I hear the AG’s have withdrawn their stay of execution before the court of appeal in the Sedina matter and filed it in the Supreme Court. As a result they have been given 13th October as a date for the hearing. I am disappointed.
“The Republic has no reason and basis to keep holding on to Sedina. Release the woman. If we need a scapegoat; the people who did the shoddy job are still at the AG’s department. Focus on them. The DPP must accept responsibility and resign for the absolutely terrible job done!” Lawyer Vormawor wrote on his Facebook timeline on Wednesday, August 12, 2026.
The post was in response to the AG’s withdrawal of his earlier motion at the Court of Appeal seeking to halt the release of Mrs Sedina Christine Tamakloe-Attionu.
The new move by the AG appears to be a trick out of the hat, calculated to keep Sedina incarcerated even though the State really has nothing but straw to clutch on to after former AG, Godfred Yeboah Dame, had rushed to court in Mrs Ationu’s absence to secure a cheap and easy conviction because the woman was not around to defend herself.
And because Yeboah Dame had a free range, he presented what has been described as one of the most shambolic cases in the history of the AG’s Department, going about the case as if Sedina was the AG prosecuting the AG, with the burden on her to prove that the allegations levelled against her were true.
It would be recalled that before the Court of Appeal unanimously acquitted and discharged Sedina, the court, presided over by Justice Emmanuel Ankamah, with Justices Samuel Obeng-Diawuo and Emmanuel Senyo Amedahe, held that the trial judge who had convicted her, Afia Asare Botchwey, had repeatedly shifted the burden of proof from the State onto the appellant, contrary to the constitutional presumption of innocence.
The court added that the prosecution had failed woefully to prove several of the charges beyond reasonable doubt.
A few hours after that judgment on July 30, the Attorney General, who was not yet privy to the judgment and was actually addressing a press conference at the time, announced that he had impulsively asked the AG’s Department to file for a stay of execution.
The Department subsequently filed a notice of appeal at the Supreme Court, stating that it was dissatisfied with the Court of Appeal’s decision to acquit and discharge the respondent.
Alongside the notice of appeal, the Attorney General also filed a motion for stay of execution pending appeal, praying the Court of Appeal to stay execution of its judgment acquitting and discharging Ms Tamakloe-Attionu until the Supreme Court determines the appeal.
However, the motion for stay of execution was withdrawn on Wednesday morning, August 12, 2026, by Principal State Attorney Hilda Craig.
Those familiar with the law have since been questioning the AG’s moves, describing them as desperate attempts that will ultimately lead nowhere, given what has been described as a shambolic prosecution in 2024 when Godfred Yeboah Dame was Attorney General.
Unfortunately for the State, because the High Court is the level at which original criminal prosecutions can be commenced, all that remains available to the State is to appeal the case, which critics argue is destined to end up nowhere.
But given the political nature of the case, the NDC government appears to be resorting to every available avenue to secure the conviction of one of its own over what has been described as a fanciful statement on accountability, regardless of the strength of the case.
For its part, the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has reportedly given up on any hope that Godfred Yeboah Dame’s legacy can lead to a conviction and has instead resorted to attempts to nudge the Supreme Court towards ordering a retrial of the case.
But for Lawyer Oliver Barker Vormawor, the horse has already bolted as far as the criminal case is concerned, and the State has no business scapegoating Sedina Tamakloe for political clout.
He argues that the only path now available is for the State to initiate a civil suit over the GH¢500,000 that MASLOC had advanced to Obaatanpa, the same money that Obaatanpa claims it returned, although questions remain over whether the company produced documentary evidence proving that it actually repaid the money.
In his post, he made the point that if the State does not initiate the civil action, his pressure group, Democracy Hub, will do so.
“I see no reason why Sedina should become some cause célèbre because the Attorney-General is refusing to accept that his predecessor and team did a terrible prosecution. Let her go. The way forward now is to recover our money for us. Use the civil processes.
“Else, Democracy Hub (Ghfixthecountry) will definitely sue her and Obantaanpa for the GHs 500,000, the whereabouts of which we still don’t know.”
The GH¢500,000 Obaatanpa Investment
In respect of the GH¢500,000, it would be recalled that in 2014, when Tamakloe was CEO of MASLOC, the microfinance centre had previously invested GH¢150,000 in Obaatanpa Micro-Finance Company, a licensed Tier II microfinance company based in Ejura in the Ashanti Region.
According to the prosecution’s case, Tamakloe subsequently arranged a second investment of GH¢500,000 in Obaatanpa.
An Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) cheque dated July 24, 2014, for GH¢500,000 was issued to Obaatanpa.
According to Godfred Dame’s prosecution, Tamakloe told Obaatanpa’s board chairman, Seth Asiedu Obugyei, that the GH¢500,000 investment would attract 24% interest.
Obaatanpa considered the rate too expensive and decided that it did not make business sense to keep the money.
The company therefore decided to return the GH¢500,000. It initially prepared a cheque to refund the money.
But according to the prosecution’s account, Tamakloe allegedly declined the cheque and requested the money in cash instead.
On August 28, 2014, the GH¢500,000 was allegedly handed over in cash to Tamakloe by Obaatanpa’s board chairman at a Total filling station at Baatsona on Spintex Road, Accra.
The prosecution said the money was delivered in a “Ghana-must-go” bag. Tamakloe allegedly subsequently signed a letter acknowledging receipt of the GH¢500,000.
However, these claims were made in court in the absence of Sedina, who, following her extradition back to the country, has denied the claim that she took the GH¢500,000 back.
She has also adduced evidence to show that, at least a year later, she wrote to Obaatanpa demanding interest on the same investment.