MASLOC trial: My dealings with Sedinam was verbal – Obaatanpa official to court

The second Prosecution Witness in the case in which Madam Sedina Christine Tamakloe Attionu the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) and one Daniel Axim are standing trial for causing financial loss to the state has said there were “no documents” evidencing communications his board chairman Seth Asiedu Obugyei had from the former MASLOC boss.

Samuel Quansah, a board member and an accountant of Obaatanpa Micro Finance institution at Ejura where the state alleged that the former CEO among other things misappropriated a GHc500, 000 investment fund gave evidence.

While being led by Chief State Attorney Madam Stella Appiah, to give his evidence-in-chief, the witness told the court that communications between Obaatanpa and MASLOC were conveyed to them by the board chairman, Seth Asiedu Obugyei.

However under cross-examination by the lawyer of Madam Sedinam Tamakloe (First Accused person) Agbesie Dzakapsu the witness when asked to tell the court whether the communications by Nana Obugyei to the directors and management, were documented, he responded in thenegative saying “I don’t have any evidence” before adding that the communication was verbal.

On the issues of the GHc500, 000 investment sum, he told the court that, he together with his board chairman went to Ejura in the Asante Region to bring the money when they decided they were returning it back to MASLOC due to its high interest rate.

Asked by counsel if he counted the said money himself or it was counted in his presence, he said it was counted in his presence and that per the denominations, GHc10 notes were GHc100,000, GHc50 notes were 200,000 and GHc20 note were GHc200, 000 toptalling GHc500, 000.

When asked again to tell the court where Obaatanpa mobilized the alleged GHc500, 000 from, he said “we had earlier on given them notice so they got the money from their Commercial Bank Account and Snapi Aba Trust

The witness meanwhile could not tell the account within which the initial cheque it received from MASLOC was paid into, except to say “I know it was paid into an account,”

Mr Quansah told the court that he was not part of the day-t-day running of the account and so there were certain questions he was unable to answer but some mebre could do.

Asked by counsel if he had the application of the first GHc150, 000 investment, the witness said no and when it was suggested to him that he will not know so many things “because you were not running the company, he responded in the affirmative saying “Yes.

The witness could however not able to tell when he and his chairman Nana Obugyei, returned to Accra with the money. He was also unable to tell the court the date when he allegedly drove Nana Obugyei to meet the first accused person.

The Accountant said when you handover the sum 500,000 to the former MASLOC boss through Nana Obugyei, he did not immediately take an acknowledging receipt instantly, “If the person is someone you trust, and the person said you should come back later, you will do that is exactly what I did.”

The court presided over by Justice Afia Serwah Asare Botwe adjourned the matter to today for further cross examination.

Background

A former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Sedina Christine Tamakloe Attionu, has been hauled before the Accra High Court by the Attorney-General (A-G) for allegedly causing financial loss of more than GH¢129.5 million to the state.

Attionu, who was the boss of MASLOC from November 2013 to January 2017, has been charged together with Daniel Axim, a former Operations Manager of MASLOC.

The two have been charged with 80 counts, including stealing, conspiracy, wilfully causing financial loss to the state and causing loss to public property.

Other charges are improper payment of public funds, unauthorized commitment resulting in a financial obligation for the government, money laundering and contravention of the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663).

Attionu and Axim are expected to appear before the Criminal Division of the Accra High Court on Monday, February 4, 2019, to answer to the charges leveled against them.