A release warrant has been signed for former MASLOC chief executive Sedina Christine Tamakloe-Attionu after the Attorney-General withdrew a motion seeking to block her release following her acquittal by the Court of Appeal.

The withdrawal paved the way for the judge to sign the release warrant, according to court proceedings on Wednesday.

Principal State Attorney Hilda Craig informed the Court of Appeal that the State was withdrawing its application for a stay of execution of the court’s decision acquitting and discharging Mrs Tamakloe-Attionu.

The motion was subsequently struck out as withdrawn.

The State has, however, filed a fresh application at the Supreme Court seeking a stay of execution pending its appeal against the Court of Appeal’s decision.

A three-member panel of the Court of Appeal in July overturned Mrs Tamakloe-Attionu’s conviction and 10-year prison sentence on 78 corruption-related charges.

The panel, presided over by Justice Emmanuel Ankamah, with Justices Samuel Obeng-Diawuo and Emmanuel Senyo Amedahe concurring, held that the trial judge had repeatedly shifted the burden of proof onto the appellant, contrary to the constitutional presumption of innocence.

The court also found that the prosecution had failed to prove several of the charges beyond reasonable doubt.

The Attorney-General subsequently filed a notice of appeal at the Supreme Court, stating that the State was dissatisfied with the acquittal and discharge.

Alongside the notice of appeal, the Attorney-General initially filed a motion at the Court of Appeal seeking to stay execution of its judgment until the Supreme Court determined the appeal.

That application was later withdrawn, allowing the release process to proceed.

The State’s decision to pursue a stay application before the Supreme Court means the legal dispute over Mrs Tamakloe-Attionu’s acquittal remains pending despite the signing of the release warrant.