Collins Dauda
THE TRIAL of Alhaji Collins Dauda, a former Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, and four others, who were involved in the $200 million Saglemi Housing Project scandal, has been adjourned to May 11, 2022.
This followed the inability of the prosecution to file the final witness statement of one of the witnesses they intend to rely on during the trial.
The trial had been scheduled for case management conference, but that could not take place as the prosecution led by Hilda Craig, a Senior State Attorney, told the court that they were yet to file the statement of the witness who was currently outside the jurisdiction.
The court, presided over by Justice Elfreda Dankyi, subsequently adjourned the trial to May 11, by which time the witness statement and its attachments would have been filed to make way for case management.
All the accused persons together with their respective lawyers were all present in court when the case was called.
Alhaji Collins Dauda, who is the NDC MP for Asutifi South in the Ahafo Region; Dr. Kwaku Agyemang-Mensah, a former Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing; Alhaji Ziblim Yakubu, Chief Director at the Ministry for Water Resources, Works and Housing, contributed to the Saglemi Housing deal when it was prepared and signed. Also playing part were businessman Andrew Clocanas, Executive Chairman of Construtora OAS Ghana Limited, as well as Nouvi Tetteh Angelo, Chief Executive Officer and owner of Ridge Management Solutions Ghana Limited. The aforementioned are facing 52 charges, including causing financial loss to the state.
They are also facing charges of intentionally misapplying public property contrary to Section 1 (2) of the Public Property Protection Act, 1977 (SMCD) 140, 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.
The state reportedly pumped about $200 million into the Saglemi Housing Project, which the Mills/ Mahama administration initiated, but the housing units were never completed, even though the funds had allegedly been exhausted before former President Mahama and his NDC team was defeated in the 2016 polls.
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 done, according to investigations compiled and sent to the Attorney General’s Department, and these are not even habitable.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak