MASLOC Audit Report: Former CEO Threatens to Sue Over ‘False’ Reportage

Lawyers for former Chief Executive Officer for the Micro and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Sedinam Tamakloe Attionu, have threatened to sue persons and corporate entities publishing what they describe as defamatory statements about their client.

The lawyers in a statement signed by one of their colleagues, Victor Adawudu, said they had received instructions from Madam Attionu in that regard.

“We have the instructions of our client to commence legal action against all persons and corporate entities publishing these defamatory statements about our client with the sole purpose to destroy her hard-earned professional reputation built over her working life of over 25 years,” the statement said.

This comes on the back of a forensic audit by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), into the operations of MASLOC under the Mahama administration which unearthed a massive misappropriation of funds at the Centre.

The report, which was sighted by citinewsroom.com indicted Sedinam Tamakloe Attionu, and her predecessor, Bertha Sogah.

The report was initiated when the current CEO, Stephen Amoah, took charge of the Centre.

It revealed among other things that MASLOC invested an amount of GHc 500,000 in a 91-day fixed deposit with Obaatampa Microfinance Company Limited, at an interest rate of 25% per annum on July 24, 2014.

The former CEO, Sedinam Tamakloe, in a letter dated August 28, 2014, however, instructed the microfinance company to terminate the investment and pay back the amount. But the report established that the money which was repaid cannot be traced.

Mr. Adawudu, in the statement however insisted that there are no facts to buttress these allegations contained in the report, adding that it was released to tarnish Madam Attionu’s reputation.

“The said publication contains statements that are highly defamatory of our client and calculated to ridicule her person in the eyes of decent thinking people and society as a whole.”

Mr. Adawudu also clarified that the report, which had been published by a number of media houses, particularly the Multimedia Group was untrue.

“It is our duty to state categorically that there is no truth whatsoever in the purported publication being published in the media, especially by the Multimedia Group. For the avoidance of doubt, our client has denied all allegations leveled against her and we wish to reiterate that our client did not misappropriate any funds of MASLOC during her tenure as Chief Executive Officer.”

The immediate past Deputy Chief Executive Director of MASLOC has since dismissed these allegations, saying the Madam Attionu had already responded to them and cleared her innocence.

Meanwhile, Mr. Amoah has said some persons indicted in the report may face prosecution for their respective roles in the alleged misappropriation of funds at the Centre.

Speaking on Point Blank on Eyewitness News on Wednesday, Mr. Amoah however said some of the offenses require that those indicted are surcharged.