An Accra High Court yesterday granted the five persons standing trial for allegedly causing financial loss to the state in the $200 Million Saglemi Housing project trial bail in the sum of $322 million.
Collins Dauda, a former Housing Minister, was granted a self-recognizance bail and 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.
Other accused persons- Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, was also granted bail for $65 million with sureties, while the third accused, Ziblim Yakubu, a former Chief Director at the Ministry also got bail in the sum of $65 million with three sureties also ordered to deposit his passport with the court Registrar.
As part of the bail conditions, one of the sureties must be a public servant and living in Ghana and must also deposit his Ghanaian passport.
The fourth accused, Andrew Clocanas, the Executive Chairman of Construtora OAS Ghana Limited, was granted bail for $179million with three sureties and Novi Tetteh Angelo was granted bail for $13 million with three sureties.
The five accused persons denied all 52 charges variously preferred against them by the State prosecution led by the attorney-General Godfred Yeboah Dame.
A high-level delegation made up of Minority Members of Parliament led by their leader, Haruna Iddrisu, were at the Court to support their colleague MP, Mr. Dauda,
The Minority MPs, who were in court included Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak, former Attorney-General, Dr. Dominic Ayine, former mayor of Accra, Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije, Eric Opoku, and former Energy Minister Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah.
Some national executives of the NDC, including Joshua Akamba and Sammy Gyamfi, were also at the court.
The case was subsequently adjourned to October 13.
SOURCE: Kofi Yirenkyi