Attorney General Dominic Ayine has provided a detailed explanation for his controversial decision to drop the Saglemi housing case, stating the prosecution was fundamentally flawed from its inception.
Speaking on Joy News’ Newsfile today, Ayine drew from his insider perspective as a former defense attorney for the accused to argue the case was “poorly investigated” with charges that were “poorly thought through.”
Dr Ayine’s argument centered on what he called a fatal disconnect between the charges and the evidence. He argued it was legally and logically impossible to charge former Minister Collins Dauda with causing a $200 million financial loss.
Dr Ayine revealed that only $94 million had been spent by the time Dauda left office, and prosecutors failed to show how his actions could be directly linked to the entire alleged loss.
The AG framed his decision as the result of an “objective professional assessment” of all pending cases inherited from the previous administration, not political instruction.
He highlighted his unique position, having switched from the defense team to the state’s lead prosecutor, stating, “I had an insider view of most of the things that happened.”
