The High Court in Accra has issued an ultimatum to Alhaji Ziblim Yakubu, former Chief Director of the Ministry of Water Resources, Works, and Housing, to appear before the court within 48 hours to have his plea taken in a criminal case that has been pending since 2021.
Justice Ernest Owusu-Dapaa, who presided over the case on Monday, June 5, stated that if the accused person fails to appear in court on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, the law will take its course.
Alhaji Ziblim Yakubu served as the Chief Director of the ministry from 2009 to 2017. He, along with a former Minister of the Ministry, Alhaji Collins Dauda, his successor Dr Kwaku Agyeman-Mensah, and two others, has been facing charges related to the Saglemi Affordable Housing Project since August 2021.
However, the trial has been at a standstill due to the former Chief Director's health condition.
The other accused persons in the case are Andrew Clocanas, the Executive Chairman of Construtora OAS, the Brazilian company responsible for constructing the affordable housing project, and Nouvi Tetteh Angelo, a director of RMS, the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) consultancy subcontractor for the project.
Initially, the Accused Persons Pleaded not guilty to 52 counts, but the state substituted the original charge sheet on January 24, 2023, with a new one containing 72 counts. The case was subsequently reassigned to Justice Owusu-Dapaa on May 31, 2023.
While the four accused persons pleaded not guilty to the new charges, Alhaji Yakubu has not yet entered a plea. His counsel, Godwin Tameklo, requested the court to grant his client time to recover or provide video conference facilities at the Attorney-General's offices in Tamale or Yendi to enable him to plead to the charges.
However, the prosecution, led by Principal State Attorney Hilda Craig, argued that the accused could walk with support according to the medical report and that video conference facilities were not available in the specified locations.
In his ruling, Justice Owusu-Dapaa emphasized that the criminal justice system cannot provide what it does not have. He ordered the accused person to appear in court on Wednesday, June 9, 2023, at 12 noon.
According to the facts presented by the Attorney-General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, in August 2012, the then President, John Dramani Mahama, approved the construction of 5,000 affordable housing units under the Saglemi Affordable Housing Project.
The project, executed by Construtora OAS Ltd, was intended for sale to workers through mortgage arrangements.
The prosecution alleged that various irregularities occurred during the project, including the review of the agreement without parliamentary approval, disbursement of funds without proper utilization, and payments made for no work done.
