One of the accused persons in the ongoing Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency, (GYEEDA) trial, Philip Assibit, has told the court he never received any payment before the regularization of a contract to provide for consultancy services to the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP).
According to Mr. Assibit, who was testifying in the case where he has been accused of receiving huge amounts of money for no work done, said his company, Goodwill Ghana, received its first payment months after the execution of the work they were expected to do.
[contextly_sidebar id=”CelOIKuOk2a0oOrsqjwpfLgPti0tlRWF”]He also told the court all other monies he received from the NYEP before a valid contract was signed were allowances given to participants in workshops organized by the employment agency.
Philip Akpeena Assibit made these revelations when he opened his defence in the case.
The State has accused Assibit of putting in false claims that he had secured a $65-million World Bank funding for the creation of one million jobs for the youth, resulting in the government parting with GH¢4.1 million.
While another defendant, Abuga Pele, who was the National Coordinator of NYEP at the time, is alleged to have acted in a manner resulting in the loss of the amount to the state.
Pele has pleaded not guilty to two counts of abetment of crime, intentionally misapplying public property, and five counts of willfully causing financial loss to the state.
Assibit has also pleaded not guilty to six counts of defrauding by false pretences, and five counts of dishonestly causing loss to public property.
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By: Fred Djabanor/citifmonline.com/Ghana