National Communications Officer for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has claimed there’s more to the allegations being made against Former Works and Housing Minister, Collins Dauda with regards to the Saglemi Housing project.
Sammy Gyamfi sees the development as an attempt by the Akufo-Addo-led government to detract from its inability to complete the project started by the erstwhile Mahama government.
“The case against Collins Dauda and others is frivolous and a poor attempt by the vindictive Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government to create a convenient excuse for their abandonment of the Saglemi Housing project,” he said.
The Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame initiated prosecution against Mr Dauda for intentionally misapplying $200 million, “by causing the said amount, which had been approved by the Parliament of Ghana for the construction of 5,000 housing units, to be applied towards the payment of 1,412 housing units under the Saglemi Affordable Housing Project.”
Reacting to the charge, however, spokesperson for the former minister, Mr Opoku told Chief Jerry Forson on Adom FM’s morning show Dwaso Nsem that Collins Dauda never had the funds directly rather it was spent by the Finance Ministry.
“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 consultant who is also in government 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,” he said.
“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. The money they are talking about was at the Ministry of Finance, and certificates were issued to contractors to work on the project, so how could you say Mr Dauda has spent such money,” he quizzed.
Source: GhanaFeed.com
