Abuga Pele, the former National Coordinator of the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Agency (GYEEDA), was sentenced alongside the Chief Executive Officer of Goodwill International Group, Philip Assibit, to a combined jail-term of 18 years on various counts, including willfully causing financial loss to the state.

[contextly_sidebar id=”q3ZiiK8QdvQcAWXG72W3mIHsssiJPQPm”]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.

It subsequently emerged that monies were paid to these companies who were awarded the contracts through sole sourcing for no work done.

Speaking on Citi FM’s News Analysis Programme, The Big Issue, Mr. Ayariga said the awarding of all contracts through competitive bidding processes will tackle the canker associated with sole sourcing.

“President Akufo Addo is against sole sourcing. He campaigned against sole sourcing but reducing sole sourcing is not enough. I think we should abolish it entirely,” he indicated.

Ayariga threatens suit

Mr. Ayariga, on the show, also indicated that he will next week start a chain of events that may result in an injunction at the Supreme Court against the operations of a number of state agencies.

Mr. Ayariga has said he will move against every state agency exercising “unfettered discretionary power without clear non-discriminatory non-arbitrary regulations approved by Parliament governing the exercises of their discretionary power.”

He asserted that all these agencies must provide a road map to close all these loopholes or face being dragged to the Supreme Court.

“I shall in the coming week write to each and every agency of government concerned and demand that the regulations be brought to Parliament within 30 days otherwise I will proceed to the Supreme Court to seek an injunction against all that they are doing in violates of the law.”

‘Jail-term’

Abuga Pele was handed a four and six-year sentence which will run concurrently, meaning he will spend six years behind bars.

Assibit, on the other hand, got sentences of 12 and four years on different counts, also to run concurrently, meaning he will be in jail for twelve years.

The court also ordered the state to recover all assets and money belonging to the state from the convicts.

Delivering her judgment, Justice Efia Serwaa Botwe said the prosecution succeeded in proving their case by producing enough evidence.

She also added that the defence and the accused person, on whom a lot burden of proof was laid, failed to prove their innocence in the matter.

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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The post Ayariga wants sole sourcing scrapped after Pele, Assibit’s incarceration appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Mr. Vanderpuye said the NDC’s morale remains high ahead of the 2020 elections, despite the incarceration of Pele, adding that the party was on course to regain power.

“It is unfortunate but I can only say that this will not dampen the spirit of the NDC. Between 2001 and 2004, they sentenced Tsatsu Tsikata, Dan Abodakpi, Ibrahim Adam and Kwame Peprah. It did not stop us from winning elections in 2008. We are going to win the elections and bring Abuga Pele out,” the MP told Citi News after the part’s Unity Walk in Eastern Region at Somanya.

Abuga Pele, the former National Coordinator of the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Agency (GYEEDA), was sentenced alongside the Chief Executive Officer of Goodwill International Group, Philip Assibit, to a combined jail-term of 18 years on various counts, including willfully causing financial loss to the state.

Pele was handed a four and six-year sentence which will run concurrently whilst Assibit got concurrent sentences of 12 and four years on different counts.

The court also ordered the state to recover all assets and money belonging to the state from the convicts.

Philip Assibit has since served notice will be appealing his 16-year jail term alongside an application for bail.

Victims of broken system

Another NDC MP, Mahama Ayariga, put up somewhat of a defence for Abuga Pele and Philip Assibit saying they were only victims of agencies that were allowed to operate without any checks.

Responding to their conviction on The Big Issue, Mr. Ayariga said he was not going to abandon his “comrades” just because they had broken the law.

“These comrades fell because we operated a legal regime that left cracks that became the holes that devoured them. The cracks include the tolerance of unfettered discretionary power in the management of our public affairs and the permissiveness of sole sourcing and other negative practices of allowing institutions to exist without an appropriate legal framework,” Mr. Ayariga said.

Threat of legal action

Mr. Ayariga also said he was going to give some state agencies an ultimatum to present to Parliament, reforms of their regulations or face action at the Supreme Court.

He said he will move against every state agency exercising “unfettered discretionary power without clear non-discriminatory non-arbitrary regulations approved by Parliament governing the exercises of their discretionary power.”

“I shall in the coming week write to each and every agency of government concerned and demand that the regulations be brought to Parliament within 30 days otherwise I will proceed to the Supreme Court to seek an injunction against all that they are doing in violation of the law.”

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By: Neil Amatey Kanarku & Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post NDC will win 2020 polls and ‘free’ Abuga Pele – Nii Lante appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

In a statement responding to their conviction on The Big Issue, Mr. Ayariga said he was not going to abandon his “comrades” just because they had broken the law.

[contextly_sidebar id=”i4r6tqHAnh8M0AE8lPjItdXucay2JLdK”]“These comrades fell because we operated a legal regime that left cracks that became the holes that devoured them. The cracks include the tolerance of unfettered discretionary power in the management of our public affairs and the permissiveness of sole sourcing and other negative practices of allowing institutions to exist without an appropriate legal framework.”

Abuga Pele, the former National Coordinator of the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Agency (GYEEDA), was sentenced alongside the Chief Executive Officer of Goodwill International Group, Philip Assibit, to a combined jail-term of 18 years on various counts, including willfully causing financial loss to the state.

Abuga Pele was handed a four and six-year sentence which will run concurrently, meaning he will spend six years behind bars.

Assibit, on the other hand, got sentences of 12 and four years on different counts, also to run concurrently, meaning he will be in jail for twelve years.

The court also ordered the state to recover all assets and money belonging to the state from the convicts.

Delivering her judgment, Justice Efia Serwaa Botwe said the prosecution succeeded in proving their case by producing enough evidence.

She also added that the defence and the accused person, on whom a lot burden of proof was laid, failed to prove their innocence in the matter.

Philip Assibit has since served notice will be appealing his 16-year jail term and also applying for bail.

Changing the system

Mr. Ayariga said the imprisoning of the two prompted him to give some state agencies an ultimatum to present to parliament reforms to their regulations or face action at the Supreme Court.

He said he will move against every state agency exercising “unfettered discretionary power without clear non-discriminatory non-arbitrary regulations approved by Parliament governing the exercises of their discretionary power.”

“I shall in the coming week write to each and every agency of government concerned and demand that the regulations be brought to Parliament within 30 days otherwise I will proceed to the Supreme Court to seek an injunction against all that they are doing in violation of the law.”

Mr. Ayariga also said he will present a Private Members Bill to Parliament proposing the amendment of the Procurement Act to bring an end to sole sourcing.

He is also proposing the recall and review of all sole source contracts to “ensure that Ghanaians have value for money.”

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post GYEEDA Scandal: Pele, Assibit victims of ‘bigger rot’ – Mahama Ayariga appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Speaking to the media after court proceedings, Assibit’s lawyer, Kwaku Paintstil, said the appeal will include an application for bail.

[contextly_sidebar id=”scjnJSQUfBXgulJBJAsZqRiLPxOVwmTV”]“Obviously, I have gotten instructions [to file an appeal against the conviction] and we are going to do that,” he stated.

“To the very best of what I know and what we have discussed, anytime next week, the appeal will come out and I can also assure you that it will be coupled with an application for bail, pending the determination of the substantive appeal,” Mr. Paintstil added.

Assibit was sentenced alongside the former National Coordinator of the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Agency (GYEEDA), Abuga Pele, to a combined jail-term of 18 years on various counts, including willfully causing financial loss to the state.

Abuga Pele was handed a four and six-year sentence which will run concurrently, meaning he will spend six years behind bars.

Assibit, on the other hand, got sentences of 12 and four years on different counts, also to run concurrently, meaning he will be in jail for twelve years.

The court also ordered the state to recover all assets and money belonging to the state from the convicts.

Delivering her judgment, Justice Efia Serwaa Botwe said the prosecution succeeded in proving their case by producing enough evidence.

She also added that the defence and the accused person, on whom a lot burden of proof was laid, failed to prove their innocence in the matter.

The lawyer also expressed some displeasure with the handling of the case saying the prosecution had not proven its case beyond any reasonable doubt.

Mr. Paintstil further alleged that some evidence, favourable to his client had been withheld by the prosecution.

“…there is a lot of evidence on the record and indeed, the prosecution was specifically accused, not only by one witness but by about two or three witnesses, of deliberately hiding evidence from the court. The issue is; if the prosecutor has a good case, why withhold evidence from the court?”

Possible refund of money

The court gave the accused persons an opportunity to negotiate payment of the monies embezzled after a prompt from the prosecution.

The accused persons, however did not express any desire to refund the monies in a move Mr. Painstil said was tactical.

“The real point of the matter is that, if you are not satisfied with the judgment, there is a danger that you will compromise that judgment by making certain concessions to the court because if you are not satisfied, you have a right of appeal. But if you go beyond that and making reparations, it is as good as admitting the conviction and that may impair your ability to appeal,” he explained.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post GYEEDA scandal: Assibit to appeal 12 year-jail term appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

[contextly_sidebar id=”alMd0Py8asZtjIhJhiQZJ2y0obj2dMdE”]Originally, the two were handed jail terms of ten (10) and sixteen (16) respectively.

But per the breakdown, Abuga Pele, who was handed a four and six-year sentence on different counts, will have his sentence running concurrently, meaning he will serve six years behind bars.

Assibit on the other hand, got a sentence of twelve and four years on different counts, but the two will run concurrently, which means he will also serve a jail term of twelve years.

The court also ordered the state to recover all assets and money belonging to the state from the convicts.

The court gave the defense lawyers and accused persons an opportunity to negotiate payment of the monies embezzled.

This led to the case being delayed for close to ten minutes, after which they asked the judge to use her discretion to make a decision.

The prosecution also drew the attention of the court to the fact that the law allows asset recovery alongside jail sentences.

Delivering her judgment, Justice Efia Serwaa Botwe said the prosecution succeeded in proving their case by producing enough evidence.

She also added that the defense and the accused person, on whom a lot burden of proof was laid, failed to prove their innocence in the matter.

She also said the canker of stealing in office must be dealt with.

Background

Abuga  Pele and  Philip Akpeena Assibit, stood trial for committing acts that led to the loss of GH¢4.1 million to the state.

Assibit pleaded not guilty to six counts of defrauding by false pretence and six counts of dishonestly causing loss to public property, while Pele also pleaded not guilty to five counts of willfully causing financial loss to the state, abetment of crime and intentionally misapplying public property.

The prosecution claimed that Pele, who was the National Coordinator of the agency when it was known as National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP), entered into a contract with Assibit to engage in activities which did not inure to the benefit of the state.

The facts of the case, per the prosecution, are that in 2010, Pele entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the GIG, represented by Assibit, without any “recourse to the then sector Minister of Youth and Sports, Akua Sena Dansua, or the Attorney General’’.

Between May 2011 and May 2012, the prosecution said, Assibit made a number of payment claims for consultancy services ranging from “the provision of exit programmes for the NYEP to the provision of financial engineering services’’.

Assibit, the prosecution said, claimed his services led to the NYEP securing a World Bank facility of $65 million and also helped the agency to recruit 250 youth to support the implementation of what was known as the Youth Enterprises Development Programme.

The prosecution added that in August 2012, investigations revealed that Assibit was paid an additional “GH¢835,000 under the guise of what was referred to as tracer studies for the World Bank.”

Abuga Pele, a former Member of Parliament for Chiana-Paga in the Upper East Region, had always stated that he was only used as scapegoat by the previous NDC government, whiles the real culprits were made to walk free.

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By: Fred Djabanor & Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post GYEEDA scandal: Abuga Pele to serve 6-yrs in jail, Assibit,12 appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.