Mahama Govt Spent Over US$114 Million In Saglemi Housing Project – Atta Akyea Alleges

Minister of Works and Housing, Samuel Atta Akyea, has accused the erstwhile Mahama administration of embezzling over $114 million in the Saglemi Housing Project.

According to him, this was revealed in an audit report conducted by the Ghana Institution of Surveyors.

Speaking on Joy TV’s PM Express monitored by Wontumionline.com on Wednesday, October 14, 2020, the housing minister said, “the Ghana Institute of Surveyors has come out with a report showing that what is on the ground, measured against the money received will bring out a very very huge figure of about $114 million.

“It is stated in black and white that the amount paid to the contractor is $179,904,752.5. It is stated clearly that the total works on the ground is $64 million, the difference is what gives you the $114 million I’m talking about.”

Meanwhile, the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the police service has launched an investigation into the matter by interrogating his predecessor and other ministers in the Mahama administration for allegedly ‘inflating’ 1,500 units of Saglemi Affordable Housing Projects.

The 2,172 acres on which the Saglemi housing project is located, was procured in 2002. On August 15, 2012, the late John Evans Atta Mills gave executive approval to the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing to implement the project.

The project involved the construction of 5,000 housing units where the public, through the Ghana Home Loans could buy a house using a mortgage.