By Collins Sarkodieh 
The full 94-page judgment of the Court of Appeal has revealed why three judges unanimously acquitted former MASLOC CEO Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu, overturning her ten-year prison sentence.
The three-member panel, led by Justice Emmanuel Ankamah alongside Justice Samuel Obeng-Diawuo and Justice Emmanuel Senyo Amedahe, ruled that state prosecutors completely failed to prove their charges beyond reasonable doubt.
The appellate court highlighted a fundamental legal mistake made by the trial judge at the Accra High Court. The judges pointed out that the prosecution improperly shifted the legal burden of proof onto the accused person.
According to the judgment, state prosecutors drafted charges claiming Tamakloe-Attionu acted without authorization or due process. The trial judge wrongly expected her to prove she had authorization instead of forcing prosecutors to prove their own allegations.
The panel reaffirmed the historic legal principle that an accused person is presumed innocent until proven guilty by the state. The judges declared that prosecutors cannot escape their burden of proof simply by writing negative claims on a charge sheet.
The Appeal Court concluded that the prosecution’s evidence fell far short of the required standard and that the original charge sheet contained serious legal defects. Consequently, the appellate justices set aside all convictions and custodial sentences imposed on the former MASLOC boss.
Open PDF: Sedina Christine Tamaklo.pdf
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