Abuga Pele, Assibit Jailed Over GYEEDA Scandal

The Accra Financial and Economic Crimes Court has sentenced the two persons standing trial over the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA) scandal to a total of 18 years imprisonment.

The court had found the former GYEEDA coordinator Abuga Pele guilty of 13 charges ranging from abetting to commit crime to wilfully causing financial loss to the state.

The court presided over by Justice Afia Asare Botwe had also found businessman Philip Akpeena Assibit and Managing Consultant of Goodwill International Group (GIG) guilty of 6 counts of defrauding by false pretence.

Asibit was slapped with a 12 year jail term while Abuga Pele had six years.

The court ordered the state to recover the assets of Assibit equivalent to the tune of over $1.9 million.

The judge noted that the convicts did not show remorse, stressing that looking at the caliber of the convicts, they ought not to have done what they are said to have done.

Earlier, Lawyer for Phillip Assibit asked for not more than 6 months.

Lawyer Kwaku Paintsil says prisons are full and that his client is a Chief, entrepreneur and has “unnumbered children”

Lawyer Abu Juan, Abuga Pele’s lawyer was also asking for not more than 6 months.

He said Abuga Pele is a former MP and was actually an MP when it started.

He believes it was as a result of the case that the convict lost the primaries and that he has a family.

Judgment

In the view of the court, the purported MOU signed between NYEP and GIG is incapable of being a contract of consultancy services.

The court explained that the document presented as evidence of work done by Assibit has gaps in it adding that it looks unfinished and references are made to the European Union as if Ghana is in Europe.

The court found that the document is fraudulent and was presented to EOCO by Assibit and not tampered with by EOCO as claimed.

Touching on whether he (Assibit) had secured 65 million dollar funding from World Bank as he claimed for which reason he demanded pay, the court stated that per all documents before the court from World Bank, no such sums had been secured as at September 2011 when Mr Assibit wrote insisting he had secured that amount and thus found that he therefore made a false representation.

On whether or not Assibit had recruited 250 people, prepared an exit plan and ordered by World Bank to organise tracer studies, the court found that he made false representation in all those instances.

On whether his actions amounted to defrauding (had intent), the court said that Prosecution has proved the 6 counts of defrauding by false pretence against Assibit and accordingly. Convicted him

On Abuga Pele, the court said he abetted crime of defrauding by false pretence indicating that the prosecution has proved that the former GYEEDA coordinator Abuga Pele is guilty of 2 counts of abetting to commit crime.

The court opined that it is not in doubt that 3.3 million cedis has been lost by the state and as well found Abuga Pele guilty of 6 counts of wilfully causing financial loss to the state.

Assibit and Abuga Pele were standing trial before the court for the various roles they played in the GYEEDA scam.

The Attorney General’s (AG’s) Department claims that the accused persons caused huge financial loss to the state by their roles.

Assibit is being accused of putting in false claims that he had secured $65 million World Bank funding for the creation of one million jobs for the youth, which led government to part with GH¢4.1 million.

By: Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson/ thePublisher