Legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has said aspects of the Court of Appeal’s decision to acquit and discharge former Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) Chief Executive Officer Sedina Tamakloe have merit, but he disagrees with suggestions that all the charges brought against her were defective.
Speaking on The Key Points on TV3, Kpebu said the prosecution failed to meet the burden of proof on some of the charges, making parts of the appellate court’s reasoning understandable.
“There is some merit in the grounds used by the Court of Appeal in acquitting and discharging Sedina Tamakloe. The State clearly didn’t meet the burden of proof in some of the charges,” he said.
However, he stressed that he could not conclude that every charge brought against the former MASLOC CEO was flawed.
“But I cannot say all the charges are defective,” Kpebu stated.
According to him, Sedina Tamakloe may still have questions to answer on some of the allegations, which is why he believes the matter should run its full legal course.
He urged the public to wait for the Supreme Court to determine the appeal against the Court of Appeal’s decision before drawing final conclusions on the case.
Kpebu also questioned one aspect of the prosecution’s case relating to the procurement of buses, arguing that subsequent actions by the government raised issues about holding Sedina solely responsible.
“Ofori-Atta renegotiated the contract to supply the buses. If you knew the contract was such a terrible deal that you could renegotiate, but you chose not to renegotiate. After renegotiating, how do you saddle Sedina with the consequences? I don’t understand why you will want to hold Sedina accountable,” he said.
