ASSIBIT TOOK GH¢53,000 - WITNESS

By William Yaw Owusu

Saturday, June 7, 2014

It has emerged that Phillip Akpeena Assibit, the ‘supposed’ Consultant who is standing trial with Abuga Pele, former National Coordinator of National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP), took GH¢53,000 to conduct feasibility studies.

When the much-touted NYEP now Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA) trial resumed yesterday, a third Prosecution Witness (PW3) told the Accra Financial Court how he was asked by Abuga Pele to prepare a voucher for the money to be released to his co-accused for the feasibility studies.

Accused persons

The incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) for Chiana-Paga, Abuga Pele as the National Coordinator and Mr. 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.

The MP 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.

The two have pleaded not guilty and are currently on bail.

Charges                                               

The NDC MP 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.

Evidence-in-chief

The witness, Mohammed Pelpuo, Head of the Business Development Unit at GYEEDA, led in evidence by Marina Appiah Opare, a Principal State Attorney, told the court presided over by Justice Afia Asare-Botwe that the total amount requested for the feasibility studies was GH¢104,000 but the auditor slashed it down to GH¢59.000 after some items were cancelled on the voucher.

“My boss (Abuga Pele) handed to me minutes of a meeting and on that document the NYEP was to conduct feasibility study to collate data. It came with a budget and the GIG and MDPI were to conduct the study.”

Mr. Pelpuo who said he joined the NYEP in November, 2009, told the court that the items on the list cancelled by the auditor included accommodation, logistics and MDPI consultancy services, adding “I don’t know who prepared the budget but it was given to me by my boss to prepare a voucher to the accountant for the release of the amount.”

PW3 said that out of the GH¢59,000 released, Assibit signed for GH¢53,000 while about GH¢6,000 were for NYEP staff who were going to monitor, the feasibility studies.

“I signed in the presence of Mr. Assibit and some NYEP staff. He signed for the GH¢53,000 and he said he had pre-financed the study.”

He further told the court that the signed sheets were supposed to be returned to the accountant but it was not clear if that was done.

Managing Consultant

Mr. Pelpuo said Assibit was introduced to them by Abuga Pele in a meeting as a consultant who was coming on board to help the government to create employment opportunities for the youth adding that “Mr. Assibit signs as the Managing Consultant for Goodwill International.”

He said the first time that the Youth Enterprise Development Project (YEDP) tried to source for funding was when Assibit introduced West Cap as a company that was going to help to secure the funding.

Mahama Factor

He admitted that the NYEP signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Assibit’s GIG in pursuance of the YEDP but they were later informed by Abuga Pele at a management meeting that then Vice President John Mahama had asked the NYEP to explore a World Bank facility to serve the same purpose and therefore the West Cap idea was abandoned.

He said his first involvement in the process to secure the $65million World Bank facility was when Abuga Pele asked him to send the concept paper to Mrs Gladys Ghartey, current Head of United Nations Systems at the Ministry of Finance and Economic who was then on the World Bank desk at the ministry.

Mr. Pelpuo said Mrs. Ghartey at a point queried why the NYEP bypassed her office and sent the concept paper directly to the World Bank before cautioning them not to repeat that mistake again.

Latin America Trip

He said when a list was prepared by the NYEP on the request of the World Bank for sponsorship for a study tour in Latin America, Mr. Ghartey questioned why Assibit’s name had be included.

“She saw Assibit’s name as the consultant and was furious. She said the World Bank would not finance the trip because the bank was not in the business of funding consultants,” witness told the court.

He said the bank bought eight tickets for the NYEP to travel to Bolivia, Dominican Republic and Jamaica for a study tour but only six were able to make the trip.

No Consultants

He also said the World Bank officials who came to Ghana to assess the project said they were not comfortable with Assibit and his team’s presence at their meetings and asked the NYEP to exclude them in future engagements with them.

Mr. Pelpuo said the Tracer Study report prepared by Assibit and his GIG was rejected by the World Bank and the NYEP was tasked to prepare fresh report adding “their reasons for rejecting the Assibit’s report are documented.”

Cross-examined briefly by Raymond Bagnabu counsel for Assibit, the witness admitted that it was the World Bank that requested for the Tracer Study and not Assibit.