The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Samuel Atta Akyea, has revealed that former ministers who played a role in the stalled US$ 200 million Saglmei Housing project will face prosecution.

The project is near completion but waas stalled for the past three years the government probed allegations of infractions regarding its execution.

Responding to questions in Parliament on Thursday, 4 June 2020, Mr Atta Akyea gave the assurance both criminal and civil actions will be pursued in the matter.

“A strong position in law that all the contracts purportedly signed by Hon. Collins Dauda and thereafter some wayward Chief Directors after the original project had received parliamentary approval have no legal consequence”, Mr Atta Akyea told the house, adding: “At the moment, the Ghana Institution of Surveyors is engaged in a value-for-money audit.”

“Their findings will indicate the extent of embezzlement of state resources via the vehicle of affordable housing delivery. All the traducers of the law will be arraigned before a court of competent jurisdiction to answer criminal charges.

“Civil actions shall be used to recover money lost to the state. The audit will also project how much required to complete the 5,000 units with the full amenities. The Akufo-Addo government pledges to complete the botched Mahama Saglemi Housing project”, he said.

The 5,000-unit project was started by the Mahama administration in 2012.

Reacting to the development in an interview with Accra100.5FM’s parliamentary correspondent Richard Appiah Srapong, a former Deputy Minister of Water Resources, Mr Sampson Ahi, said “if the contract was signed properly, why did they also come to continue the project”.

“We do not think this contract was awarded dubiously, so, we are not afraid of this investigations,” he said.

He added: “Most of the claims about the money are not true.”