Assibit charged extra fees – Prosecution tells court
Mr Philip Akpeena Assibit, the first accused person in the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA) case, has refuted claims that he charged extra fees for the structuring of documents presented to the World Bank.
He said: “my Lord, we have comprehensive fees we charge for our deliverables including the youth enterprise project; I have never charged any extra fees for the structuring of documents presented to the World Bank”.
The accused said this during cross-examination by prosecution of the state led by Mrs Evelyn Keelson, a Chief State Attorney pointed.
She said that the accused claim in his earlier evidence that he did not charge anything extra for the structuring of the document presented to the World Bank and concept note was false.
The Mr Abuga Pele, the former National Co-ordinator of GYEEDA and Mr Assibit, a Representative of Goodwill International Group (GIG) are facing various charges of causing financial loss of GHC4.1 million to the State.
Assibit is being accused of putting in false claims that he had secured a 65-million-dollar World Bank funding for the creation of one million jobs for the youth, which led government to part with GH¢4.1 million to his company but failed to deliver per the agreement.
The State said on April 13, 2011, the accused stated in a letter as one of his main claims to the NYEP as securing a World Bank facility of 65-million dollars and that claim has no bases but the accused said: “My Lord, l think either the prosecution did not get my message I presented to the court or they are choosey and picking out phrases”.
He said it was the responsibility of the NYEP to continually use the template of the Youth Enterprise Project anytime to get their funding but in this case, “my company did all the work on their behave without charging, that was what I meant by saying we secured a World Bank facility as part of our references”.
He denied making up the idea that the World Bank facility was secured, it was true that my company did all the work for the NYEP to secure the funding of which there was documentary evidence.
“There are several authoritative documents and witness statements available to the court, which confirms how the funding was secured,” he added.
Mrs Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe who presided at an Accra High Court adjourned the case to November 27.
At the last adjourned date, Mr Assibit, said his company developed an exit strategy plan for National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP).
He said the team of consultants developed and launched the exit plan at Alisa Hotel, where the Former President, John Dramani Mahama was represented.
The accused said this when during cross-examination by state, Mrs Marina Appiah-Opare, Principal State attorney pointed out to him that there was no exit plan for the programme and that investigations have proven so as well.
The accused was asked to tell the court, when the exit plan was develop and launched and he said the plan was develop in 2010 and launched the same year.
The State asked, whether, Mr Assibit had a copy of the plan but he said, they was no copy.
The prosecution said to the accused “There is nothing on record to support your claim on the exit plan,” but Assibit denied that and said the A-G knew EOCO took vital documents from him, which included the exit plan.
He said the claims by other prosecution witnesses in that case that all NYEP modules had exit plan was not true, hence none of them even shown an exhibit in court.
On, whether the accused’s company had an agreement with NYEP, Mr Assibit said GIG had an agreement with the State.
He said it was not a claim that GIG had a contract with NYEP but there were documentary evidence to that effect for work done.
Mrs Appiah-Opare said the accused in his letter to the NYEP requesting for payment of services, presented himself as the Managing Consultant of MDPI but the Accused said it was not true and that “l did not and had never presented myself as a Managing Consultant of MDPI, as l had stated earlier in most of my documents, as a Managing Consultant of GIG.”
The prosecution had earlier exhibited a letter by Assibit signing as Managing Consultant of MDPI.
He said “l have no motivation to present myself as a Managing Consultant of MDPI, if l have already presented myself as a Managing Consultant for GIG on the contract between GIG and NYEP and l was known as such all along.”
Source: GNA