Causing financial loss: Nana Addo grants presidential pardon to jailed former MP Abuga Pele

The former Member of Parliament for Chiana/Paga constituency was last month hospitalised after he was taken ill in a critical condition at the High Dependency Unit (HDU) of the hospital.

Abuga Pele and Chief Executive of Goodwill International Group (GIG), Philip Akpeena Assibit were indicted in alleged fraudulent activities at GYEEDA.

Abuga Pele and a private service provider, Philip Assibit, were found guilty of 19 counts including dishonestly causing financial loss to the state.

The Court was satisfied that the prosecution had proved 13 of the 19 counts Abuga Pele faced ranging from aiding and abetting crime to willfully causing financial loss to the state.

Some of the counts included intentionally misapplying public property and dishonestly causing loss to public property.

His counterpart Philip Akpeena Assibit was found guilty of six of the 19 counts he faced including defrauding by false pretence. He flashed a smile while the judgment was being delivered.

The two have since 2014 been before the court.

Assibit is accused of putting in a false claim for payments to the tune of 3.3million cedis as services provided the then NYEP.

This included developing an exit program and securing a grant of 65million cedis from the World Bank.

Pele is alleged to have entered into the agreement with Assibit and prevailed upon the state to make payments when no work has been done,