An Accra High Court today February 23, 2018, sentenced the former National Coordinator of GYEEDA, Abuga Pele, and the CEO of Goodwill International Group, Philip Assibit, to 6 and 12 years respectively.
The court sentenced the two on various counts, including willfully causing financial loss to the state.
The two were handed a total jail terms of ten (10) and sixteen (16) respectively. Abuga Pele, who was handed a concurrent sentence of four and six years on different counts and will serve both terms at the same time, meaning he will serve six years in all behind bars.
Philip Assibit, on the other hand, got a sentence of twelve and four years on different counts, both running concurrently, which means he will also serve a jail term of twelve years in all.
The court presided over by Justice Efia Serwaa Botwe also ordered the state to recover all assets and money belonging to the state from the convicts, but offered the accused persons and their lawyers the opportunity to negotiate the terms of payment of the monies embezzled.
GYEEDA scandal
In the scandal that hit the now Youth Employment Agency (YEA), some companies including Zoomlion Ghana Limited, RLG, Asongtaba Cottage Industry Limited and Better Ghana Management Services Limited among others, were contracted to render services under various modules for the GYEEDA programme.
Following the reports of siphoning state funds under the GYEEDA programme, the government in 2012 ordered an investigation into its activities and subsequently terminated the contracts with the various companies.
The former GYEEDA National Coordinator, Abuga Pele was also hauled before a court to answer for the reported malfeasance under his tenure.
Abuga Pele, former MP for Chiana Paga in the Upper East Region, pleaded not guilty to two counts of abetment of crime and intentionally misapplying public property and five counts of willfully causing financial loss to the state in the trial.
He also said at the time that there was a conspiracy to use him as a ‘sacrificial lamb’ for the multi-million cedi corruption scandal, whiles those supposed to have been charged are walking free.
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primenewsghana.com/Ghana News