Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has urged the government to provide fresh updates on the Alfred Agbesi Woyome judgment debt and the Saglemi Housing Project case, arguing that the recovery of public funds should extend to all outstanding matters involving alleged financial losses to the state.
Mr Kpebu made the call on TV3’s The Key Points on Saturday, October 3, 2026, while discussing the ongoing prosecution of Manhyia South Member of Parliament, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah.
The MP was arrested and arraigned by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) over alleged financial offences linked to SIC Savings and Loans.
Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah has pleaded not guilty to charges including conspiracy to commit intentional dissipation of funds, intentionally causing financial loss to the state and money laundering. He was subsequently granted bail of GH¢10 million with two sureties.
Mr Kpebu in his submission questioned why the authorities are pursuing the Baffour Awuah case while other matters involving public funds, particularly the Woyome judgment debt and Saglemi Housing Project, remained unresolved.
“Woyome still owes us money, so those going after Baffour, bring up the Woyome matter. How much does he owe?” he asked.
He also demanded clarity on the status of the Saglemi case.
“They said they will investigate. Let’s see that. How much is owed? Let’s get an update. Because as you go after the money here, go after the money there too — Saglemi and Woyome. Let’s hear the updates on what’s happening,” Mr Kpebu said.
The Woyome case arose from a payment of about GH¢51.2 million made to businessman Alfred Agbesi Woyome by the Ghanaian government in connection with claims relating to financial engineering services for the construction of stadia ahead of the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations.
Former Attorney-General Martin Amidu challenged the legality of the payment, leading to a prolonged legal battle.
In 2014, the Supreme Court ordered Mr Woyome to refund the money after ruling that the agreements underpinning the payment were unconstitutional and invalid. The court found that the transactions breached Article 181(5) of the 1992 Constitution, which requires certain agreements involving the state to receive parliamentary approval.
The state subsequently pursued the recovery of the judgment debt through Mr Woyome’s assets.
In 2020, the Supreme Court directed the government to acquire some of his properties after earlier attempts to auction them to recover the debt encountered difficulties.
The government had, however, not recovered the full amount by April 2024. Then Deputy Attorney-General Alfred Tuah Yeboah confirmed that some recoveries had been made but said efforts were continuing to retrieve the outstanding balance.
The civil judgment requiring Mr Woyome to refund the money is separate from the criminal proceedings brought against him. He was acquitted and discharged in 2015 on charges including defrauding by false pretence and causing financial loss to the state, with the Court of Appeal later upholding the decision.
His subsequent legal challenge before the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights was also unsuccessful.
Mr Kpebu also cited the Saglemi Affordable Housing Project, which was initiated under the administration of former President John Dramani Mahama.
The project was designed to deliver 5,000 affordable housing units and was financed through a US$200 million Credit Suisse facility approved in 2012.
The project later became controversial after its scope was revised, reducing the number of housing units to be delivered despite the substantial expenditure already incurred.
Government records cited in reports on the project indicated that approximately US$195.85 million, or about 98% of the financing, had been spent, while only 1,506 units are at various stages of completion. The units also lacked critical infrastructure, including water and electricity, making them uninhabitable at the time.
The circumstances surrounding the project led to criminal charges against former Works and Housing Minister Collins Dauda, former Water Resources, Works and Housing Minister Kwaku Agyeman-Mensah, former Chief Director Alhaji Ziblim Yakubu and others.
The prosecution alleged financial irregularities in the implementation of the project, including the alteration of its original scope and the use of project funds.
However, in February 2025, Attorney-General and Minister of Justice Dr Dominic Ayine filed a nolle prosequi, bringing the prosecution against the accused persons to an end.
Dr Ayine later defended the decision, explaining that a review by his office had identified evidentiary and legal difficulties in some of the cases and that prosecutions would not be maintained where the available evidence did not meet the required legal threshold.
The discontinuation of the Saglemi case has continued to attract public discussion, particularly because of the scale of public funds committed to the project and the limited number of completed housing units.
For Mr Kpebu, the government’s current pursuit of the Baffour Awuah case should be accompanied by renewed attention to other outstanding matters involving public funds.
He is therefore seeking clarity on the amount still outstanding in the Woyome judgment debt case and an update on the government’s position regarding the Saglemi Housing Project following the withdrawal of the criminal charges.
His comments shift the focus beyond individual prosecutions to the broader issue of accountability, recovery of state funds and the government’s handling of cases involving alleged financial losses to the public purse.
By 1960news.com
