The Accra High Court has granted former Housing Minister, Collins Dauda, a self-recognisance bail in the Saglemi Housing project trial.
The legislator, the first accused person, was also asked to deposit his passport with the court Registrar.
The Asutifi South MP has been charged by the Attorney General for allegedly causing financial loss to the state through the affordable housing deal.
Mr Dauda, who supervised the initiative at the time it was approved by Parliament, has also been charged with intentionally misapplying public property.
The second accused, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, has also been granted bail for $65million with sureties.
He is also required to deposit his passport with the court Registrar.
The third accused, Ziblim Yakubu, a former Chief Director at the Ministry granted bail for $65million with three sureties.
One of the sureties must be a public servant and living in Ghana and must also deposit his Ghanaian passport.
Andrew Clocanas, the Executive Chairman of Construtora OAS Ghana Limited, was granted bail for $179million with three sureties.
Novi Tetteh Angelo was granted bail for $13million with three sureties.
The five accused persons pleaded not guilty to all the 52 charges against them.
In the particulars of offences, Collins Dauda is said to have intentionally misapplied $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.”
But the NDC has come to his defence saying that there was no point at which the Ministry changed the target of 5,000 housing units.
“At no point was the objective of building 5,000 houses approved by Parliament changed or varied, save that, same was supposed to be delivered in Phases. And this was going to be delivered with the approved amount of $200 million only and nothing more,” said the opposition party’s spokesperson, Sammy Gyamfi on Monday.
According to him, Mr Dauda “only amended and restated the Works Agreement in line with the same provisions and reduced the number of Phases from four to three to shorten the project duration.”
Meanwhile, the spokesperson for Collins Dauda, Eric Opoku says the money Mr Dauda is alleged to have misapplied was not given directly to him, it was rather disbursed by the Ministry of Finance.
“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,” he insisted.
