The National Coordinator of the District Road Improvement Programme (DRIP), Nii Lante Vanderpuye, has dismissed suggestions that President John Dramani Mahama could use executive powers to grant a pardon to former Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) Chief Executive Officer Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu following her extradition to Ghana.

Vanderpuye said Mahama remains committed to the rule of law and would not interfere in judicial processes or shield individuals from accountability.

“Unless you don’t know President Mahama for who he is… when it comes to certain things, he will let you face the wrath yourself. He will not go to shield you,” he said during an appearance on Channel One TV on Thursday.

He emphasised that any consideration of executive clemency must follow established legal procedures, rejecting speculation that the presidency could be used to protect the former MASLOC boss.

Tamakloe-Attionu was extradited from the United States to Ghana to serve a 10-year prison sentence imposed by the Accra High Court in 2024 after she was convicted in absentia on charges of causing financial loss to the state and stealing.

The court found that her actions between 2013 and 2016 led to losses estimated at nearly GH¢90 million.

She had travelled to the United States in 2021 for medical treatment but failed to return to continue her trial, prompting Ghanaian authorities to initiate extradition proceedings.

Vanderpuye said her return and imprisonment should serve as a deterrent to public officials, demonstrating that accountability applies regardless of political affiliation.

He also noted that claims the National Democratic Congress (NDC) would prevent her extradition had been disproven by recent developments.

“She will now serve her sentence in accordance with the court’s ruling,” he added.