Collins Dauda, Dr. Kwaku Agyeman-Mensah
Two former ministers in the erstwhile John Mahama-led National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration and three others, who have been charged by the Attorney General, for their alleged involvements in the $200 million Saglemi Housing project scandal, are set to make their maiden appearance at an Accra High Court today.
They include Alhaji Collins Dauda, former Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing (MWRWH) who doubles as the NDC MP for Asutifi South in the Ahafo Region, Dr. Kwaku Agyeman-Mensah, who was the Health Minister under Mr. Mahama’s NDC administration and later became the Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing in the same regime.
Also expected in the dock are Alhaji Ziblim Yakubu, Chief Director at the Ministry for Water Resources, Works and Housing when the Saglemi Housing deal was prepared and signed, businessman Andrew Clocanas, the Executive Chairman of Construtora OAS Ghana Limited who had entered into the agreement with the NDC government to construct Affordable Housing Units at a contract price of US$200 million, as well as Nouvi Tetteh Angelo, the Chief Executive Officer and owner of Ridge Management Solutions Ghana Limited, a private entity that was involved in the Saglemi Housing project.
DAILY GUIDE sources say the prosecution is expected to be led by the Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame himself.
52 Counts
All the five personalities, per the charge sheet signed by the Director of State Prosecution Mrs. Yvonne Atakora Obuobisa on behalf of the Attorney General, are facing a total of 52 counts of intentionally misapplying public property contrary to Section 1 (2) of the Public Property Protection Act, 1977 (SMCD) 140, willfully causing financial loss to the Republic contrary to Section 179A (3)(a) of the Criminal Offence Act, 1960 (Act 29), issuing false certificate contrary to Sections 1 and 2 of the Government Contracts (Protection) Act, 1979, AFRCD 58 and dishonestly causing loss to public property contrary to Section 2 (1) of the Public Protection Act 1977 (SMCD) 140.
Specific Charges
Collins Dauda alone is facing one count of intentionally misapplying public property contrary to Section 1 (2) of the Public Property Protection Act, 1977 (SMCD) 140.
He is also facing 10 counts of willfully causing financial loss to the Republic contrary to Section 179A (3)(a) of the Criminal Offence Act, 1960 (Act 29) as well as another three counts of issuing false certificate contrary to Sections 1 and 2 of the Government Contracts (Protection) Act, 1979, AFRCD 58.
Collins Dauda and Ziblim Yakubu again are facing another charge of willfully causing financial loss to the Republic contrary to Section 179A (3)(a) of the Criminal Offence Act, 1960 (Act 29).
More Counts
In the case of Kwaku Agyeman-Mensah, he has been charged with two counts of willfully causing financial loss to the Republic contrary to Section 179A (3)(a) of the Criminal Offence Act, 1960 (Act 29), and another two counts of issuing false certificate contrary to Sections 1 and 2 of the Government Contracts (Protection) Act, 1979, AFRCD 58.
Kwaku Agyeman-Mensah has also been charged alongside Ziblim Yakubu with 18 counts of willfully causing financial loss to the Republic contrary to Section 179A (3)(a) of the Criminal Offence Act, 1960 (Act 29).
Furthermore, Ziblim Yakubu alone has been charged with six counts of willfully causing financial loss to the Republic contrary to Section 179A (3)(a) of the Criminal Offence Act, 1960 (Act 29) and three counts of issuing false certificate contrary to Sections 1 and 2 of the Government Contracts (Protection) Act, 1979, AFRCD 58.
In the case of Andrew Clocanas, he has been charged with one count of issuing false certificate contrary to Sections 1 and 2 of the Government Contracts (Protection) Act, 1979, AFRCD 58 and another count of dishonestly causing loss to Public Property contrary to Section 2 (1) of the Public Protection Act 1977 (SMCD) 140.
Nouvi Tetteh Angelo has been charged with two counts of issuing false certificate contrary to Sections 1 and 2 of the Government Contracts (Protection) Act, 1979, AFRCD 58 and another two counts of dishonestly causing loss to Public Property contrary to Section 2 (1) of the Public Protection Act 1977 (SMCD) 140.
Interesting Revelation
The state reportedly pumped about $200 million into the project which the Mills/Mahama administration initiated, but the housing units were never completed even though the funds had been exhausted before Mr. Mahama and his NDC were defeated in the 2016 general election and left office in early January 2017.
The initial agreement ratified by Parliament was for the construction of 5,000 housing units but by the time the project was being executed, only 1,502 housing units had been earmarked for construction without recourse to Parliament.
Interestingly, the contract amount of $200 million was spent when even the 1,502 housing units could not fully be completed.
Only 668 were reportedly done according to investigations compiled and sent to the Attorney General’s Department, and those are not even habitable.
Dauda Reaction
Ahead of the court date, Collins Dauda has been speaking through his colleague NDC MP for Asunafo South, Eric Opoku, who insisted that the Asutifi South MP and former minister has not committed any crime as far as the Saglemi Housing project was concerned.
Mr. Opoku, who was also a minister under Mr. Mahama, vehemently refuted claims that Collins Dauda changed aspects of the Saglemi Housing contract without recourse to Parliament.
He said on Citi FM on Monday that the only change in the agreement was the shifting of the project from four phases to three phases, and that did not require ratification by Parliament, insisting “so how can anybody say that Collins Dauda varied the decision of Parliament? He only restated the agreement. So, if the contract was varied, it was not varied by Collins Dauda.”
“If he is being called for his stewardship, he has no problem at all, except that he is worried about the fact that the whole matter has been twisted for the sake of propaganda. He has not been served with the writ yet. He has not been given the opportunity to respond to the issues,” he added.
No Money
On another radio station, Adom FM, Mr. Opoku said “that $200 million was not given to Collins Dauda. Anyone who tells you that money was given to Mr. Dauda is a liar. That money was presented to the Ministry of Finance and the Housing Ministry only supervised the project. The only job the Works and Housing Ministry did was to get a recommendation letter for the contractor to be paid, and that was even after the government’s consultant for the project, is satisfied with the work, then a certificate will be generated to the government to facilitate payment. So the money could not have been given to Collins Dauda personally.”
Mr. Opoku added that “Mr. Dauda is a generous and honest man and won’t do anything to cause financial loss to the state. He knows his rights and wrongs and won’t dare step on toes.
“I interacted with him (Collins Dauda), and I can indicate the fact that he has not been served [with the writ]. He is calm, and he thinks that what is happening is part of the work that we do for our nation. He has served in the capacity of a minister and was entrusted with a lot of responsibilities.”
By Gibril Abdul Razak