Thursday, February 27, 2014

GYEEDA SUSPECT FREED

Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com
By William Yaw Owusu
Thursday, February 27, 2014

ONE of the two suspects in the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA) trial, who was detained for failing to meet his bail conditions, has finally been released.

Philip Akpeena Assibit is standing trial alongside Abuga Pele, NDC MP for Chiana Paga and former National Coordinator of the National Youth Employment Programme (now GYEEDA) for their various roles, which the Attorney General’s Department says had cost huge financial loss to the state.
Since mid-February, Mr. Assibit, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Goodwill International Group (GIG), has been in custody after he failed to satisfy the bail conditions placed on him by the Financial Court in Accra, presided over by Justice Afia Asare-Botwe.

He had been ordered to produce four sureties with two justifications worth GH¢2million, but his co-accused, Abuga Pele, was able to satisfy the bail conditions and was asked to go home.

A member of Mr. Assibit’s legal team, Joseph Kpemka, confirmed that their client had finally been able to satisfy the conditions and had been granted bail.
While Abuga Pele is accused of willfully causing financial loss to the state to the tune of GH¢3,330,568.53, Mr. Assibit is being tried for defrauding the state of an amount equivalent to $1,948,626.68.

The Charges
The NDC MP for Chiana-Paga is facing six counts of willfully causing financial loss to the state under Section 179A (3) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), two counts of abetment under Sections 20(1) and 131(1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29) and one count of intentionally misapplying public property, contrary to Section 1(2) of the Public Property Protection Act, 1977 (SMCD) 140.
Mr. Assibit, who is the first accused person on the other hand, is facing six counts of defrauding by false pretences contrary to Section 131(1) of the Criminal and Offences Act 1960 (Act 29) and five counts of dishonestly causing loss to public property contrary to Section 2(1) of the Public Property Protection Act, 1977 (SMCD) 140.
Facts of the Case
It is the prosecution’s case that in 2009, Abuga Pele was appointed the National Coordinator of NYEP, a social intervention programme, to provide job opportunities to unemployed youth.
He was subsequently said to have been introduced to Philip Akpeena Assibit somewhere in 2010, as someone who could help the NYEP meet some of its objectives.
Soon after the meeting, Abuga Pele was said to have, on behalf of the NYEP, entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with GIG - represented by Philip Assibit.
Mrs. Keelson stated that contrary to the normal practice, the MoU was signed on behalf of the NYEP by Abuga Pele without any recourse to the then sector Minister, Akua Sena Dansua, or the Attorney-General.
Under the MoU, the NYEP was described as the “Host” and GIG as a “Strategic Partner”.
The parties, she said, agreed to “combine their labour, properties and skills for the purpose of engaging in resource mobilization, investor sourcing, management consulting, capacity building, career development and training services, among others.”
GIG was responsible for resource mobilization and undertook to provide preliminary funds for the development of the programme.
The parties, according to the prosecutor, agreed to share profits equally.
The prosecutor however, noted that there was nothing on record in terms of business proposals or documents forming the basis of engaging GIG as a Strategic Partner.
Between May 2011 and May 2012, Assibit was said to have made a number of payment claims for consultancy services allegedly rendered to the NYEP.
These representations were noted to have been supported by Mr. Pele, who used them as the basis for justifying, recommending and approving a total amount of GH¢3,330,568.53 - the equivalent of $1,948,626.68 - to Assibit.
Abuga Pele was alleged to have claimed that Assibit’s work had directly resulted in a $65 million World Bank facility for the NYEP.
The prosecutor however, disclosed that all those representations were false and that GIG was never appointed a consultant to NYEP, while Assibit did not provide any exit plan and strategy for NYEP modules.
Apart from that, he was also said not to have conducted any financial engineering for the approval of a World Bank facility of $65 million since there had not been any approval by the World Bank for the facility.
In August 2012, Assibit was said to have been paid an additional GH¢835,000 under the guise of what was referred to as tracer studies for the World Bank, which he did not deserve.
Sitting continues on March 4.


Monday, February 17, 2014

NLA, VAG TUSSLE OVER LICENSE


Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com
By William Yaw Owusu
Monday, February 17, 2013

The National Lottery Authority (NLA) is suing the Veterans Administration Ghana (VAG) for giving private lotto operators licenses to operate in the country.

As a result, NLA has filed an application at an Accra Circuit Court for interim injunction to restrain VAG from going ahead to issue license to private lotto operators.

According to the plaintiff, The National Lotto Act 2006 provided for the operation of national lotto to establish the NLA to regulate, supervise, conduct and manage national lotto and to provide for related matter.

It wondered why VAG should be issuing out license for other entities.

However, VAG insists that under the Veterans Administration Ghana Act, (Act 844, 2012), the law mandates them to hold lottery and gaming and can also issue license to other entities.

VAG noted that under Act 844 (22) (2) “a person who holds lotteries, raffles, or similar games under this Act without the express approval of the administration commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine of 100 penalty units or a term of imprisonment not exceeding six months or to both.”

NLA’s Reliefs
In the ensuing confusion, the applicant (NLA) is praying the court for an order of interim injunction restraining VAG and its assigns or agents from “promoting, sponsoring, launching and advertising any lotto or lottery or engaging in any lotto or lottery.

They also want a further order restraining VAG and its assigns or agents from “associating with or supervising any lotto draws,” and also another order restraining the respondent or its agent and assigns from “issuing any permits or licenses for lotto or lottery under the Veterans Administration, Ghana Act, 2012, Act 844, until final determination of the matter.

NLA’s Statement of Case
According to the NLA, they filed the application pursuant to Order 25 Rule 3 of the High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2004 of C.I 47.

“This is an application for interim injunction brought on the strength of Order 25 and inherent jurisdiction of this court, which permits a party to a cause or matter to apply for the grant of an injunction before the trial of a matter.

They said the application is seeking to restrain VAG and their agents from launching, sponsoring and advertising a lotto or lottery contrary to the National Lotto Act, 2006 (Act 722).

The NLA noted that under Act 844, the power given to VAG to hold lotteries is subject to Act 722 and therefore should not be allowed to issue licenses to others.

VAG Hits Back
VAG entered appearance filing a statement of case pursuant to Order 25 Rule 1 (4) and said whilst the plaintiff under Act 722 has the power to conduct national lotto, they also have powers under Section 22 of Act 844 to conduct lottery.

They averred that “both plaintiff and defendant have been exercising their respective rights under their respective enabling or establishing enactment without occasioning any infringement of each other’s right.

According to VAG, “In applying or construing a statute, the statute must be looked at as a whole, and in particular paying attention to the usage of words used, punctuation and heading and marginal notes.

Citing Page 12 of VCRAC Crabbe’s book on Legislative Drafting, the defendant said “therefore, it is deemed that Parliament does not use words anyhow nor makes mistakes as to declaration of its intention through an enactment.”
VAG averred that nothing prevented Parliament, which is the author of Acts 722 and 844 from using the ‘subject to’, if indeed the lawmaker wanted the authority granted to VAG to hold lottery to be subject to NLA Act.

“Nowhere in the pleadings of the applicant whether in the substantive writ of summons or the instant application did it alleged that the defendant has done or given or assigned or contracted a right to hold lottery to a third party under Act 722.”

“Impliedly, the defendant has stayed within the bounce of its enactment and has not infringed on the right of the applicant.

“It is this application the defendant seeks and prays the court to dismiss with cost and restrain the plaintiff from disturbing the enjoyment of the right given under Act 844.”



Friday, February 14, 2014

DRAMA AT GYEEDA TRIAL

Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com
By William Yaw Owusu
Friday, February 14, 2014

There was drama at the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA) trial when a Prosecution Witness said he did not read a vital document before appending his signature on a Memorandum of Understanding.

According to the defence team, a document  on youth employment strategy which formed the basis for the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP), Goodwill International Group and West Capital had always referred to their client as a consultant to the programme now GYEEDA.

However, when Nuru Hamidan, former NYEP Deputy Coordinator in charge of Operations and later Administration resumed his cross-examination, he told the Financial Court in Accra that he did not read the content of the MoU but appended his signature.

“I was in a meeting when I was called to come and witness,” Alhaji Hamidan who is currently the Municipal Chief Executive at Asokore Mampong Assembly in the Ashanti Region told the packed court presided over by Justice Afia Asare-Botwe.

“I swear by the Holy Quran…I am an Alhaji, I went to Mecca…Anybody who knows me knows that I am a forthright person,” the prosecution’s first witness exploded when counsel put it to him that he was not telling the truth to the court.

Accused Persons
Incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) for Chiana-Paga, Abuga Pele and Philip Akpeena Assibit, Chief Executive Officer of GIG are standing trial for their various roles which the Attorney General’s Department says has cost huge financial loss to the state.
Until last year, Abuga Pele was the National Coordinator of NYEP now the GYEEDA and he is accused of willfully causing financial loss to the state to the tune of GH¢3,330,568.53 while Assibit is being tried for defrauding the state of an amount equivalent to $1,948,626.68.
Give-And-Take
Counsel for Assibit (Raymond Bagnabu): Before signing you did not even read the title of the document. Is that what you want the court to believe?

Witness: My Lord, I said at the meeting I was called to witness.

Counsel: You did not read the covering page?

Witness: I was in a meeting when I was called to come and witness.

Counsel: I am putting it to you that you are not remembering for conducive purposes because the covering page will state A1 (Assibit) was the consultant.

Witness: I think I read the MoU, the covering page here in court and it stated that NYEP is providing job for the youth, West Cap is helping source for funding and Goodwill International Group is facilitating. That is what I know about this.

Counsel: Page two of Paragraph 3 of Exhibit 1, can you read it.

Witness: Whereas the second party has already been engaged as a consultant with the responsibility for undertaking sourcing, the sourcing of funders as well as investors, managing the execution of the project.

Counsel: The arrangement between West Cap, GIG and NYEP concerned YEDP project

Witness: Yes

Counsel: With paragraph two of the MoU stated A1 (Assibit) had already been engaged as a consultant.

Witness: As I indicated we were in a meeting when I was asked to come and sign the agreement. My coordinators will bear me out. We did not read the entire document. For the sake of good working relation with my coordinator, I signed but did not read the document.

Counsel: You did not do your work properly as a deputy national coordinator when you signed documents without reading them.

Witness: I was not in charge of legal services of NYEP. I was a deputy national coordinator and anything legal is scrutinized. I trust my boss. I knew that he had gone through everything.

The Vice President’s Office
The witness told the court that he did not know in what capacity, Assibit accompanied the (witness and Abuga Pele) to the office of then Vice President John Dramani Mahama.

Counsel: At the time you A1 and A2 went to the Vice President, you knew  you had signed a document establishing his position that A1 was going there as a consultant. The document had expressly described him as such.

Witness: I have said in the agreement GIG is facilitating the project because the idea had come from them. There is no doubt that what the project was about. As to the engaging his as a consultant id did not know. I said GYEEDA is providing jobs for the youth, West Cap is helping source for funding and GIG facilitating but I did not read the content ditto ditto to be able to know the content.

The witness said subsequently when the Vice President directed them to the World Bank they had several meetings with the bank and admitted that GIG and MDPI’s representatives were present in some of the meetings.

No Consultant
The witness told the court that the World Bank at a point in the consultations made it clear that they did not want any intermediary in the form of consultant and even mentioned one Razia Khan who had told them (NYEP) that the bank was not interested in consultants.

“The GIG as at the time I was leaving the NYEP had said they did not need consultants. They said they wanted to deal with us directly,” and when counsel asked him to provide any document to back his claim, the witness insisted “we were calling them and Razia Khan said no you can’t invite them!”

 The trips
He admitted that a delegation which included Assibit’s GIG representative as consultant, visited Kenya even though he claimed that the bank had said they were not interested in consultants.

He further admitted that another delegation under the auspices of the World Bank was sent to Latin America to study the youth employment system.

Counsel listed the team as Abuga Pele, one Mohammed of NYEP,  James Kofi Fionu (NYEP), Nuru Hamidan (PW1), Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, Samuel  Okudzeto Ablakwa, Saibu Ahmed (MDPI), Assibit as managing consultant, Ceaser Abagali, one Frank from the Vice President’s Office, one Ahmed from MOFEP and Sam Pee Yalley from Ministry of Employment.

The witness however, responded that he was aware a team was put together for Latin America but he never participated in the trip.

The witness also said he could not identify a bulky document called Youth Employment Strategy and Action Plan-A mid-term strategy 2011-2015 for the NYEP and added that he did not see that document whilst at the NYEP as deputy coordinator.

He said the World Bank project had a desk officer and added that he did not remember the launch of the project at Alisa Hotel in Accra where then Vice President Mahama, sector Minister Akua Sena Dansoa among other dignitaries attended.


Thursday, February 13, 2014

MORE REVELATIONS AT GYEEDA TRIAL


Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com
By William Yaw Owusu
Thursday, February 13, 2014

The Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency, GYEEDA scandal trial entered its second day yesterday with interesting revelations at the Financial Court in Accra.

The first Prosecution Witness Nuru Hamidan, Municipal Chief Executive of Asokore Mampong Municipal Assembly in the Ashanti Region was able to conclude his evidence-in-chief before being bombarded with questions from the defence team of one of the accused persons under cross-examination.

Incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) for Chiana-Paga, Abuga Pele and Philip Akpeena Assibit, Chief Executive Officer of Goodwill International Group (GIG), are standing trial for their various roles which the Attorney General’s Department says had cost huge financial loss to the state.
Until last year, Abuga Pele was the National Coordinator of National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP), now the GYEEDA.
He is accused of willfully causing financial loss to the state to the tune of GH¢3,330,568.53 while Assibit is being tried for defrauding the state of an amount equivalent to $1,948,626.68.
Assibit’s Bail
The presiding judge, Justice Afia Asare-Botwe after Tuesday’s proceedings had asked Assibit to remain seated in the courtroom until the court closed as there were problems with his bail bond but Abuga Pele had satisfied the bail conditions and left.
Daily Guide enquiries showed that Assibit could not complete the bail process and had to be kept by the investigators and it was also not clear if he was able to satisfy the conditions as at press time yesterday.
The give-and-take
Raymond Bagnabu, lead counsel for Assibit took on the Asokore Mampong MCE who served as Coordinator for Operations and later Administration at the NYEP and he insisted before the packed court that he witnessed for only two Memoranda of Understanding entered into between Assibit’s firm GIG and the NYEP.
When counsel put it to PW1 that he signed more than two documents in respect of the youth enterprise development project the MCE exploded: “My Lord, you have to prove” and as a result, the judge advised him to answer questions and not challenge counsel.
Counsel again put it to the witness that apart from the two MoU, PW1 also witnessed another document on July 26, 2013 which specified the term of work for the project which had been put together by Assibit’s GIG but the witness denied.
The witness insisted that he together with the two accused persons visited the office of then Vice President John Dramani Mahama but said he did not know in what capacity Assibit had accompanied them to the presidency.
He also said he was not aware of a document Assibit had sent to the presidency when he accompanied them after counsel said his client had sent the proposal on June 15, 2010 and pursuant to that GIG has prepared concept paper and budget leading to the signing of the MoU.
The witness insisted that after the meeting with then Vice President, his involvement in the whole project to which the MoU was signed became limited because a desk officer had been put in charge to liaise with the World Bank.
Abuga Pele
“I am aware a proposal was sent to the World Bank but I am not aware who had prepared it,” the witness said.
He told the court he did not specifically remember a project called Youth Employment Strategy launched at the plush Alisa Hotel in Accra by then sector Minister Akua Sena Dansoa claiming “the NYEP had a lot of programmes within a week.”
$65m Palaver
He said as at July 2013, when he was leaving GYEEDA, the World Bank $65million had not arrived and said that the stringent requirements attached made it impossible for the funds to arrive so soon.
Counsel: Do you know Solomon Nii Afutu Quartey, Greater Accra Regional Coordinator of NYEP who worked directly under you?
Witness: Yes
Counsel: He granted an interview to the Ghana News Agency and said the World Bank had given $65 million to the NYEP
Witness: He was not under me. I had moved from operations to administration
Counsel: The then Minister of Youth and Sports Clement Humado had said at the meet-the-press series that the World Bank is to give Ghana an amount of $65 million to support the NYEP
Witness: I am not aware
Counsel: The Vice President John Dramani Mahama also announced that the World Bank has supported the National Youth Employment Programme with $65 Million.
Witness: I am not aware
Concluding his evidence-in chief, Nuru Hamidan had told the court that the World Bank at a point wanted to know what GYEEDA was doing on the ground and therefore the management took the officials to the Kumasi Metropolis where all the modules were being run.
He said the bank requested for impact assessment through the exit programme and what he called a Tracer study was prepared and added that he later heard that GIG had prepared that study.
He said however, that when the Tracer Study was submitted the World Bank said there were certain requirements they were looking for which were not in the study.
He said he was not involved in the screening and selection of service providers that sent proposals for consideration but admitted that he witnessed the signing of MoU in which Assibit’s company was supposed to share profits with the NYEP.
Phillip Assibit
The Charges
In the new charges preferred by the AG, the NDC MP for Chiana-Paga will face six counts of willfully causing financial loss to the state under Section 179A (3) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 Act 29, two counts of abetment under Sections 20(1) and 131(1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29) and one count of intentionally misapplying public property, contrary to Section 1(2) of the Public Property Protection Act, 1977 (SMCD) 140.
Mr. Assibit, who is the first accused person on the other hand, is facing six counts of defrauding by false pretences contrary to Section 131(1) of the Criminal and Offences Act 1960 (Act 29) and five counts of dishonestly causing loss to public property contrary to Section 2(1) of the Public Property Protection Act, 1977 (SMCD) 140.
Sitting continues today.

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

ABUGA PELE SLAPPED WITH 19 CHARGES

Abuga Pele on his way to the courtroom
Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com
By William Yaw Owusu
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
The infamous Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency, GYEEDA scandal trial took a new twist yesterday when the prosecution came to court to withdraw the earlier charges preferred against two persons accused in the case.
Incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) for Chiana-Paga, Abuga Pele and Philip Akpeena Assibit, Chief Executive Officer of Goodwill International Group (GIG), are currently on trial at the Financial Court in Accra for their various roles which the Attorney General’s Department says had cost huge financial loss to the state.
Until last year, Abuga Pele was the National Coordinator of National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP), now the GYEEDA.
He is accused of willfully causing financial loss to the state to the tune of GH¢3,330,568.53.
New Charges
In the new charges preferred by the AG, the NDC MP for Chiana-Paga will face six counts of willfully causing financial loss to the state under Section 179A (3) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 Act 29, two counts of abetment under Sections 20(1) and 131(1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29) and one count of intentionally misapplying public property, contrary to Section 1(2) of the Public Property Protection Act, 1977 (SMCD) 140.
Mr. Assibit, who is the first accused person on the other hand, is facing six counts of defrauding by false pretences contrary to Section 131(1) of the Criminal and Offences Act 1960 (Act 29) and five counts of dishonestly causing loss to public property contrary to Section 2(1) of the Public Property Protection Act, 1977 (SMCD) 140.
In the first accused person’s case, the prosecution says he defrauded the state of an amount equivalent to $1,948,626.68.
Prosecution’s Business
The case commenced in earnest when the prosecution, led by Principal State Attorney, Evelyn Keelson, told the packed court presided over by Justice Afia Asare-Botwe that they were withdrawing the charges read in court on January 24, 2014 to prefer fresh charges against the accused.
The judge obliged and the charges were withdrawn and new ones preferred against the accused, but the prosecutor said “the facts of the case remain the same.”
The accused persons then took turns to plead not guilty to the 19 charges preferred against them.
 The presiding judge, after the facts had been read, said the accused persons should be in their former bail bond, but later when the case was adjourned, the judge asked Mr. Assibit to remain seated in the courtroom until the court closed while Abuga Pele left.
Daily Guide’s enquiries indicated that there were problems with Mr. Assibit’s bail bond that had compelled the judge to ask him to sort it out but as at press time, it was not clear whether he was asked to go home.
Game On
Immediately the charges were read, the prosecution brought in Nuru Hamidan, Municipal Chief Executive of Asokore Mampong Municipal Assembly in the Ashanti Region as their first Prosecution Witness (PW1).
He said he was a Deputy National Coordinator in- charge of Operations and later Administration of the NYEP from 2009 to July 2013.
He said he reported directly to the National Coordinator (Abuga Pele) whom he called “my boss” and said there were 10 regional coordinators and 197 district coordinators, all of whom reported to the National Coordinator.
First Contact
He told the court that his first contact with Assibit was at a meeting called by GYEEDA management at the office of Abuga Pele saying, “they were introduced to us as coming from Goodwill International Group and Management Productivity Development Institute (MPDI).”
“They informed us that they can help us to expand the youth employment modules and be able to create about one million jobs in ICT, Agric and Housing.
“Our mandate is to create jobs and if we have a group of people that can help us create the jobs, it was more or less good news to the establishment,” the witness told the court.
He then explained to the court the NYEP (GYEEDA) concept and said that when it was introduced there was what he called traditional modules but in 2009, the government introduced what he again called Public Private Partnership and that enabled private service providers to send proposals for consideration under the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
He said the public private partnership was to place emphasis on entrepreneurship modules to help in the training of the youth stressing “management contracted service providers who trained  people to have their own skills and also have a component set up.”
“We received proposals from service providers almost on a daily basis and the proposals are addressed to the Ministry of Youth and Sports,” adding that they considered several factors before awarding contracts.
The witness told the court that the NYEP had what he called exit programmes for its modules saying “before a service provider is engaged all these issues are considered.”
He said in his time at NYEP he came across the Youth Enterprise Development Project when Assibit and his team were introduced to the management.
He said when it came to funding the project “Goodwill International Group and MPDI said they will help us to secure funding and introduced West Capital popularly called West Cap who said they will assist us with funding.”
The MoU
“An MoU was signed between us (NYEP), West Cap and Goodwill International Group,” adding “In fact I signed as a witness to that MoU.”
He said as a result, he together with Abuga Pele and others called on then Vice President John Dramani Mahama to introduce the idea to the presidency and the Vice President said the World Bank had a similar programme and asked them to contact the world financial giant.
The witness said from then on he was not involved in the project but he later heard in one of their meetings that the World Bank was happy and ready to fund the project.
The prosecutor then pulled out a document which was the MoU purportedly signed on July 27, 2010 and which she asked the witness to identify but did not tender in evidence and the court accepted it as an identified item.
First Objection
When the prosecution wanted to find out from the witness whether there was any training programme in respect of the project, Thaddeus Sory, counsel for Abuga Pele vehemently objected and cited Section 70 of the Evidence Decree on the grounds that it was a ‘leading question’.
After a back and forth argument, the judge overruled the objection saying “I don’t see the source of the contention.”
The witness then recalled that there were a lot of training programmes and at a point NYEP employed HND and Degree Holders to be compiling data for them for the World Bank.
“I am aware they were recruited and trained and GYEEDA paid for it in February 2011,” he said.
Defence Team
Raymond Bagnabu and Joseh Kpeim are representing Assibit while Thaddeus Sory, Carl Adongo and Kwaku Nsiah-Asare are the defence team of Abuga Pele.


Philip Akpeena Assibit - Middle
Facts Of The Case
Mrs. Keelson narrated that in 2009, Abuga Pele was appointed the National Co-ordinator of NYEP, a social intervention programme to provide job opportunities to unemployed youth.
He was subsequently said to have been introduced to Philip Akpeena Assibit somewhere in 2010, as someone who could help the NYEP meet some of its objectives.
Soon after the meeting, Abuga Pele was said to have, on behalf of the NYEP, entered into a MoU with GIG represented by Philip Assibit.
Mrs. Keelson stated that contrary to the normal practice, the MOU was signed on behalf of the NYEP by Abuga Pele without any recourse to the then sector Minister, Akua Sena Dansua or the Attorney-General.
Under the MoU, the NYEP was described as the “Host” and GIG as a “Strategic Partner”.
The parties, she said, agreed to “combine their labour, properties and skills for the purpose of engaging in resource mobilization, investor sourcing, management consulting, capacity building, career development and training services among others.”
GIG was responsible for resource mobilization and undertook to provide preliminary funds for the development of the programme.
The parties, according to the prosecutor, agreed to share profits equally.
The prosecutor however noted that there was nothing on record in terms of business proposals or documents forming the basis of engaging GIG as a Strategic Partner.
Between May 2011 and May 2012, Assibit was said to have made a number of payment claims for consultancy services allegedly rendered to the NYEP.
These representations were noted to have been supported by Mr. Pele, who used them as the basis for justifying, recommending and approving a total amount of GH¢3,330,568.53, the equivalent of $1,948,626.68, to Assibit.
Abuga Pele was alleged to have claimed that Assibit’s work had directly resulted in a $65million World Bank facility for the NYEP.
The prosecutor however disclosed that all these representations were false and that GIG was never appointed a consultant to NYEP, while Assibit did not provide any exit plan and strategy for NYEP modules.
Apart from that, he was also said not to have conducted any financial engineering for the approval of a World Bank facility of $65million since there had not been any approval by the World Bank for the facility.
In August 2012, Assibit was said to have been paid an additional GH¢835,000 under the guise of what was referred to as tracer studies for the World Bank which he did not deserve.
Sitting continues today.


Tuesday, February 04, 2014

NPP HOLD CRUNCH MEETING


Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com
By William Yaw Owusu
Tuesday, February 4, 2014

The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) is expected to hold a crunch National Council meeting today to deliberate on matters affecting the party in recent times.

High on the agenda would be a key decision to be taken over the venue for the party’s impending national conference to select national executives, slated for March 1.

Currently, the party appears divided over whether to centralize or decentralize the venue for the all-important exercise and the intense debate on the issue is having a spillover effect on who is doing the right thing.

Martin Agyei-Mensah Korsah, NPP Direction of Elections confirmed the National Council meeting saying “they are going to deliberate on a number of issues. Most likely on the table will be discussion about how we conduct this national executive’s election.”

NEC Decision
“The National Executive Committee which is a bit lower than the National Council decided that we hold elections across the country in all the 10 regions after considering all issues involved.

He said “why would the underlining factors be money? If the decision would change, the question would be can we raise GH¢1.2million (¢12 billion) to run this election at one location?”

He added “or can we use far less amount for the same exercise but spread across the regions?”

NPP Broke
Mr. Agyei-Mensah Korsah said “it is never true that the NPP is broke. I reject that assertion completely. The debate now is how we use our money,” adding “in all the elections we have done from constituency to regional level, the NPP did not go to borrow money for the exercises.”

“So far per the party’s calculation it will cost us GH¢1.2million for a centralized exercise whereas decentralization will cost us GH¢250,000 (¢2.5billion) for a similar exercise. All of them are expected to give us similar results,” he said.

“The decentralization idea is cost effective. It will save us money,” he emphasized.

Dirty Linen
According to Mr. Agyei-Mensah, “some members of our party have been in the public and in the media criticizing this view and creating the impression as though we are unable to decide where we hold our election. That issue is still lingering on and the meeting will deal with that conclusively.”

He said the National Elections Committee was going on as scheduled to organize elections and said nothing had changed so far.

Decentralized Option
“However if tomorrow National Council decides that rather than hold it across 10 regions of the country, we should centralize it, the National Elections Committee will have absolutely no problem at all…we will go ahead and do it.

“Until any decision is taken we are going ahead to organize elections in all 11 polling centres across the country. Thus 10 regions and one at the NPP headquarters.”

“At the NPP headquarters, national officers and  members within the external branch of the party who are so far 192 are expected to vote. Each external branch is expected to produce 12 delegates. There are also those who would apply for proxy votes. All of these people would be voting at the NPP headquarters.”

“So there would be one centre at the party’s headquarters and all the others would be at the 10 regional capitals.”

Constitutional Infringement
When asked if the party’s constitution mandates NEC to decentralize the elections, he said “the constitution does not also ask us to go and centralize the process.”

“Indeed, Article 17 of the NPP constitution gives the national executives the power to put out rules and regulations for the implementation of that constitution and running of the party at all levels.”

“What the NPP constitution says is that there shall be an extraordinary annual delegate’s conference and that conference would see the National Chairman and Treasurer coming to address party delegates on the state of the party,” he said.

“The General Secretary may be directed to file returns of the party with the Electoral Commission and any other matters that would arise,” he added.

2011 & 2013 No Show
“It is instructive to note that in 2011, NEC with National Council waived the holding of the annual delegate’s conference.

In 2013, because we were in the Supreme Court, the same body waived annual delegate’s conference and nobody raised any issue with those decisions.”

“Why were there no noise like we are hearing today? Somebody ought to be answering,” he quizzed.

He said that “all that the constitution says is that do an annual delegate’s conference. As per our programme as National Elections Committee, the National Executives would be featuring with their reports.”

“The extent of discussion in fulfilling that constitutional condition is that do we hold the annual delegate’s conference by a televised event or record it and play the audio to delegate’s preceding the voting.”

“Or do we put it in the form of a brochure for delegates to read? Their regional equivalents could read them on their behalf.”

He said that it would not be out of place to follow that process because “in the end that constitutional obligation of an annual delegate’s conference would be met.”

“The most important condition set by the party’s constitution is to ensure that an annual delegate’s conference is done. It does not decide which mode it should be.”

Writer’s email: yawowusu1403@gmail.com