State prosecutors are attempting to have Sedina Tamakloe Attionu, the former head of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), tried in her absence.
Following her inability to appear in court since October last year, state prosecutors filed an application to have Mrs Attionu tried in her absence.
The Accra High Court, however, ruled it would not consider the motion for trial in absentia until it decided on another application seeking to make the sureties who guaranteed Mrs Attionu's release liable for her absence at a hearing last Monday.
Justice Afia Serwaa Asare-Botwe, the presiding court, declared, "I will not determine the application for trial in absentia until the application for forfeiture has been determined."
Mrs. Attionu, who is accused of sexual assault, is on trial. Despite being granted permission by the court to fly to the United States for medical treatment after causing the state a financial loss of GH90 million during her term as the Chief Executive Officer of MASLOC between 2013 and January 2017, she has failed to show up for the trial.
She was supposed to travel to Ghana on October 6 last year to continue her trial, but she has yet to appear.
Justice Asare-Botwe expressed her discontent with the situation in November last year, and issued a bench warrant for Ms Attionu's arrest to compel her to attend the trial.
Following that, the prosecution requested a trial in absentia.
The company then filed an application for forfeiture of recognizance, which was denied. to offer any rationale why the two sureties who executed Mrs Attionu's GH5 million bail bond should not be forced to pay the bail sum due to her absence from the trial.
Alex Mould and Gavivina Tamakloe are Mrs Attionu's two sureties. The prosecution withdrew the first forfeiture application and filed a new one.
a request for forfeiture
The prosecution, Stella Ohena Appiah, a Principal State Attorney, told the court last Monday that the two sureties had been informed about the new forfeiture application.
As a result, she requested a two-week adjournment from the court to allow the prosecution to serve the sureties with the application.
The prosecutor also reminded the court about Mrs Attionu's application for a trial. However, Justice Asare-Botwe informed the prosecutor that the court would not hear the application for a trial in absentia until the forfeiture application was resolved.
The hearing will be held again on May 24, 2022.
I'm not guilty.
Mrs Attionu is charged with 78 counts of deliberately causing financial harm to the state, stealing, and violating the public procurement legislation, along with Daniel Axim, a former MASLOC Operations Manager.
Both have denied any misconduct and have entered not guilty pleas to all counts.
The prosecution's argument
Mrs Attionu is accused by the prosecution of engaging in several criminal activities that resulted in claimed theft and financial loss.
For example, it has charged Mrs Attionu of embezzling GH500,000 from a company that she worked for. In 2014, MASLOC provided assistance.
In 2013, following a fire disaster at the Kantamanto Market, then-President John Mahama authorized MASLOC to pay GH1.46 million in assistance to victims of the disaster, but Mrs Attionu embezzled part of the money, according to the prosecution.