The former CEO of MASLOC has been the victim of 80 counts of theft and money laundering

The former CEO and Operations Manager of the Microfinance Center and Small Loans (MASLOC) has been the victim of 80 counts of theft and financial loss to the state.

Sedina Tamakloe Attionu and Daniel Axim, first and second defendants, were also charged with causing damage to public property, an improper payment of public funds, an unauthorized commitment entailing a financial obligation on the part of the government. and breach of the law on public procurement.

In all, the CEO would have diverted 783,500 ¢, belonging to the center, during his term, but that's not all.

According to the decision, the CEO and the Director of Operations have attempted, at different stages of their mandate, to steal or misappropriate money belonging to MACLOC.

In the indictment, it was also stated that on September 28, 2016, Attinou and Axim appropriately appropriated 162,000 ¢ belonging to the Center.

The two men also agreed, according to the indictment, to bademble and voluntarily cause financial harm to the state in violation of Articles 23 (1) and 179A (3) (a). ) of the Criminal Offenses Act 1960 (Act 29).

Facts about the case

SHORT FACTS

1^st The accused, Sedina Christine Tamakloe Attionu, was General Manager of the Microfinance and Small Loans Center (MASLOC) from November 2013 to January 2017. The 2^{North Dakota} The accused, Daniel Axim, is the former MASLOC operations manager. MASLOC is a government agency created to help small and medium-sized businesses with low interest rate loans.

In 2017, the Office of Economic and Organized Crime (EOCO) investigated certain fraudulent disbursements of MASLOC funds involving the 1^st and 2^{North Dakota} accused.

The investigations revealed that, in June 2014, MASLOC invested 150,000 GH ¢ in Obaatanpa Micro-Finance Company Limited (Obaatanpa), an approved Level II microfinance company, located in Ejura, in the Ashanti region. Subsequently, the 1^st The defendant offered Obaatanpa a further investment of 500 000 GH ¢. As a result, a check from the MASLOC Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) dated 24^th In July 2014, 500,000 GH ¢ were drawn in favor of Obaatanpa.

Shortly after Obaatanpa received the MASLOC check, the 1^st The accused informed the Chairman of Obaatanpa that the amount of the investment of 500,000 GH ¢ would attract interest of 24%. Obaatanpa decided to return the amount to MASLOC because the interest rate charged by the accused was too high and unprofitable for his company and issued a check corresponding to the loan amount.

On presentation of the check, the 1^st The accused refused to accept the check and asked for a cash refund. A cash amount of 500 000 GH ¢ was given to the 1^st accused by the chairman of Obaatanpa's council on the night of 28^th August 2014 at the Total Baatsona petrol station located on the Spintex road in Accra. By letter of 28^th August 2014, the 1^st The accused acknowledged receipt of the refunded amount.

In 2015, by letters some of which were in the hands of the accused, MASLOC had asked Obaatanpa to pay interest on the main investment of 500 000 GH ¢. In response to these requests, Obaatanpa reminded MASLOC of a reminder regarding the payment of the loan amount and^st the attention of the accused on the unjustified applications, following which the applications have ceased.

In 2017, when the new CEO of MASLOC took office, a notice of application was again sent to Obaatanpa for the payment of interest accrued on the same amount of investment of 500 000 GH ¢ . After that, Obaatanpa again informed MASLOC that the funds had already been paid. reimbursed since 2014. Investigations later revealed that MASLOC had no record of the amount paid to it and that^st The accused had appropriated the amount of 500,000 GH ¢.

The investigations also revealed that in April 2016, the 1^st The accused obtained the authorization of the MASLOC Board of Directors to use the sum of 1,706,000 GH ¢ of the MASLOC funds for a national awareness and follow-up program for 85,300 beneficiaries of the MASLOC loans. Each of the 85,300 targeted beneficiaries was to receive Twenty Ghana Cedis (20 ¢ GH) to cover transportation and refreshments.

Between April and December 2016, under the authority of 1^st charged, a total sum of 1 816 000 GH ¢ withdrawn in installments was received by the 1^st and 2^{North Dakota} defendants even though MASLOC's board of directors had agreed to pay GH ¢ 1,706,000.

Once again, investigations revealed that, of GH 1 16 6 000, only GHG 1 300 was spent on refreshing certain beneficiaries in the Volta, Grand Accra and Brong-Ahafo regions and that 39, no program has been set up in the other seven regions.

Investigations also revealed that prior to Board approval, the first accused also appropriated 246,280 GHCs for training, awareness and financial literacy.

Investigations further revealed that in 2013, following a fire at the Kantamanto market, then-President John Mahama had asked MASLOC to provide 1,465 035 GH ¢ to the victims of the disaster. The money however had to be paid through the savings and credit company Dwadifo Adamfo (Dwadifo Adamfo). The surveys showed that the 1^st the defendant is appropriated 579,800 GH ¢ on a sum of 1 465 035 GH ¢.

In August 2016, the 1^st The defendant, on behalf of MASLOC, wrote to the PPA for the approval of the purchase of vehicles from Mac Autos and Spare Parts Ltd (Mac Autos) for the GPRTU using the single sourcing method under of the Public Procurement Act. In October 2016, the APP wrote to MASLOC asking for a financial arrangement approved by the Ministry of Finance.

Out of 5^th In December 2016, the then Minister of Finance wrote to the APP to confirm the current financial arrangements for the purchase of vehicles. Without any APP approval, the 1^st accused signed a contract with Mac Autos on 6^th In December 2016, 350 vehicles will be supplied to MASLOC, including 150 Chevrolet Aveo Saloons, 100 Chevy Sparklites and 33 Seater Isuzu Buses. MASLOC has requested a tax exemption on all vehicles.

The unit price offered by Mac Autos to MASLOC for Chevy Aveo was GH ¢ 74,495 ($ 18,883.39). However, the investigations revealed that Mac's actual retail price for the same model in the same year was $ 47,346.93 ($ 12,009.91). The unit price offered for the Chevrolet Sparklite was GG 65 095.00 ($ 16 500.63), while the actual price offered by Mac Autos during the same period, without duties, was $ 35 918.37. GH ¢ ($ 9,104.77). For Isuzu 33-seater buses, the unit price offered to MASLOC was 445,560 GHAC (US $ 112,942.96), but the actual retail price without duties was GHT 293,877.55 (US $ 74,493.67) .

In November 2016, MASLOC again purchased 200 pieces of Samsung B310 dual sim mobile phones as part of a project called the PINCO Project Market Survey. The investigations revealed that, even though the real price in the telephony market was 24 400 GH ¢, the 1^st the defendant bought them at the inflated price of 93 412 GH ¢.

Investigations also revealed that in January 2017, the 1^st The accused, without the requisite approval and authorization, charged to himself and his deputy, a Mustapha Abubakar Batalima, the amounts of 135,592.33 GH ¢ and 82,218.76 GH ¢ respectively. Moreover, the same month, the 1^st The accused paid her and her deputy's cash benefits equal to GH ¢ 28,445.94 and GH ¢ 27,486.62 respectively, allegedly in lieu of leave in violation of the law. .