Collins Dauda is an honest man, he has not caused financial loss - Spokesperson

Eric Opoku, the spokesperson for former Water Resources, Works and Housing Minister, Collins Dauda, has refuted the charges filed against his boss in the Saglemi Affordable Housing Project.

The former Minister is facing charges including willfully causing financial loss to the state in the Saglemi Housing deal.

He has also been charged with intentionally misapplying public property.
He is alleged 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 spokesperson says the amount involved 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.

“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,” he said.

According to him, “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.”