Saglemi Housing case: My testimony to court is only limited to documents – State Witness

Chief Director of the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing Rev. Yaw Osei has told the High Court in Accra that his knowledge of the Saglemi Affordable Housing project which has become the subject of the Prosecution of five officials including Alhaji Collins Dauda was “limited to only documents” he had seen.

According to him, he was “never involved in the implementation of the project” which the five have been accused of willfully causing financial loss to the Republic regarding the $200 million housing project.

Rev. Osei, the First Prosecution Witness in the ongoing trial of Alhaji Collins Dauda, Kweku Agyemang Mensah, and three others (one deceased) made this known under cross-examination from defence lawyers led by Godwin Edudzie Tamekloe.

Alhaji Collins Dauda, together with 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 a part are businessman Andrew Clocanas, Executive Chairman of Construtora OAS Ghana Limited, and Nouvi Tetteh Angelo, Chief Executive Officer and owner of Ridge Management Solutions Ghana Limited.

They are involved in the $200 million Saglemi Housing Project which prosecution had alleged they had misapplied the funds.

Asked by Lawyer Edudzie Tamekloe, Counsel for the 2nd Accused (Kweku Agyemang Mensah) if he still stood by his testimony to the Court that, he was not personally involved until after December 2016 when there was a change in government, he maintained his grounds.

“I have never been involved in the implementation of the project,” he stated.

When it was suggested to him that his testimony in court was only limited to documents he had seen, the Witness agreed and said “yes.”

While describing one Eric Amankwa, who according to defence counsel was a scheduled Officer at the ministry of finance as someone he had known for a long time and knew him as a macho who introduced him to the gym, the Witness said, the said Amankwah did not tell him that he was a scheduling officer at the Ministry of Finance.

“Yes I know Eric Amankwaah, but I didn’t know he was working as a schedule officer,” he told the Court under cross-examination.

Asked to tell the court how well he had known the said Eric Amankwah, he said “A very long time.”

“He (Eric Amankwah) used to be a macho man. He actually introduced me to the gym and we worked on the documentation of the Akyim Oda Water project,” he told the Court.

The Witness told the Court that, the said Eric Amankwah Junior never informed him that he was the schedule officer at the ministry of finance on the Saglemi housing project despite his long relationship.

When it was suggested to him that the main duty of the scheduling officer was to validate and process certified drop-down requests from the Ministry of Water Resources Works and Housing, the Witness said he was “unaware.”

He also told the Court that he was “unaware” that the drop-down requests were usually sent to the Bank of Ghana either by the minister of finance or the Chief Director of the ministry of finance on behalf of the minister.

When asked if prior to his testifying in Court, he ever found out how the drop-down requests were processed to the Bank of Ghana, he said, “I work with the Ministry of Work and Housing and I’m concerned with what happens at that ministry.”

Background

Alhaji Collins Dauda, the former Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing, and four others have been slapped with 70 charges of causing financial loss to the state over the Saglemi Affordable Housing project.

The amended charge sheet replaced the previous 52 charges pressed against them in July 2021.

Alhaji Collins Dauda, together with 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 a part are businessman Andrew Clocanas, Executive Chairman of Construtora OAS Ghana Limited, and Nouvi Tetteh Angelo, Chief Executive Officer and owner of Ridge Management Solutions Ghana Limited.

In court on Tuesday, January 24, Hilda Craig, a Principal State Attorney told the Criminal Division of the Accra High Court that they had filed fresh charges on Tuesday morning.

The charges include intentionally misapplying public property and causing financial loss to the state.

Alhaji Collins Dauda, a former Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing who doubles as NDC MP for Asutifi South in the Ahafo Region, and four others are involved in the $200 million Saglemi Housing Project scandal.