No valuation was done before claiming $200m loss

Attorney General Dr Dominic Ayine has said the discontinued Saglemi housing case failed to properly establish the actual financial loss suffered by the state, arguing that investigators ignored the value of work completed on the project.

Appearing on Joy News’ Newsfile monitored by MyNewsGh, Dr Ayine explained that the widely cited figure of $200 million was never subjected to a detailed valuation of the built environment.

“The loss was estimated at $200 million, but what they did not do was to value the built environment,” he said. “That was never done.”

He pointed out that the project involved substantial physical development that could not be dismissed as a total loss.

“Buildings were erected, glazing was done, road networks, electricity, everything,” he said. “Most of them were completed.”

According to Dr Ayine, a diligent investigation should have first determined the value of what had actually been constructed before assigning criminal liability.

“A diligent investigator ought first to have valued the built environment and then come to a determination as to how much was actually spent,” he said.

He explained that only after such an assessment could the state credibly determine whether money had been lost and by how much.

“If it turns out that only part of the amount was spent on the built environment, then you can say the rest was lost and deal with it with specificity,” he noted.

Dr Ayine added that responsibility for any loss would then have to be traced to the appropriate actors, including consultants and contractors involved in the construction process.

“You have to be specific,” he said. “The consultants and persons responsible for the construction will all have to take responsibility.”

He disclosed that although the criminal case has been terminated, the matter is not entirely closed.

“The Works and Housing Minister is doing some work with respect to settlement,” he said. “I asked that they should do value for money, and if any loss has been caused, we will take it up from there.”