The convicted former National Coordinator of the defunct National Youth Employment Programme, Abuga Pele, begged for a lesser jail term due to his status as a former Member of Parliament.
After he was convicted at the Financial Division of the Accra High Court by Justice Afia Serwaa Asare-Botwe, counsel for Mr Pele Abu Juan Jagiara prayed for not more than six months in prison as his client was a former MP.
He pleaded further that Mr Abuga Pele had already borne the brunt of the consequences of the case as he lost the primaries of his party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), as a result of the four-year-old trial.
He also argued that the former lawmaker had a family to cater for.
Mr Abuga Pele was a Member of Parliament for Chiana-Paga before he was appointed as head of NYEP, which was later renamed Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA).
A number of his loyalists had wanted him to contest the 2016 parliamentary polls as an independent candidate given the work done within the NDC.
But he never did.
His conviction was followed on Friday with a six-year jail sentence for willfully causing financial loss to the state.
His accomplice, Philip Assibit, got 12 years in jail for defrauding by false pretences, among other charges.
The two were trialed for allegedly colluding to milk the state of GH¢4.1 million.
Mr Assibit, who represented Goodwill International Group (GIG) during the transaction, had presented documents that were unaccounted for to win the contract with GYEEDA, which is now Youth Employment Agency.
The two were sentenced last Friday much to the chagrin of his family, who are leaving the issue to God.
Source: 3news.com
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He did so for him to come back out of jail earlier to enjoy the stolen money.... It's too bad ppl are thinking he's innocent. It was a creat...loot .... Nd share.. normal NDC practice!
CORRUPTION IS CORRUPTION AND CRIME IS CRIME. NO MATTER YOUR SOCIAL STANDINGS IF YOU COMMIT A CRIME YOU MUST BE GIVEN THE PUNISHMENT THAT YOU DESERVE. AS A FORMER MP, HE SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER THAN THE ORDINARY MAIN THERE IN THE STREETS THAT HE (THE MP) NEEDED TO PROTECT THE NATION PURSE AND NOT INDULGE IN ANY FORM OF CORRUPTION. WHY SHOULD THE JUDGE BE LINIENT TO HIM WHEN HE SHOULD SERVE AS A ROLE MODEL TO OTHERS AND ESPECIALLY THE YOUTTH WHO TAKE INSPIRATION FROM HIM? HE SHOULD ON THE CONTRARY, HAVE BEEN GIVEN MORE YEARS TO SERVE AS HIS PRISON SENTENCE TO SEND A GREAT SIGNAL TO OTHERS WHO ARE HARBOURING SUCH INTENTIONS THAT THEY WOULD NOT GO ON LINIENT PUNISHMENTS FOR SUCH CRIMES COMITTED JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE MPS OR MINISTERS AND SO ON. SECONDLY, WHY SHOULD AN ACCOMPLISH RATHER RECEIVE MANY MORE YEARS THAN THE PRINCIPAL. WHY NOT THE SAME YEARS FOR BOTH? COULD THAT HAVE BEEN A MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE ON THE PART OF THE ACCOMPLISH. I CANNOT BE CONVINCED IF IT WAS MERELY ON THE GROUNDS OF SOCIAL STANDINGS AS AN MP AND THAT HE HAS CHILDREN TO TAKE CARE OF. DOES ABUGA PELE HAVE MORE CHILDREN THAN HIS ACCOMPLIST ASSIBIT WHO WE TOLD HAS UNCOUNTABLE CHILDREN. MUST JUSTICE CONSIDER YOUR SOCIAL STANDINGS? WHERETHEN LIES FAIRNESS IN THE CIRCUMSTANCE. THESE ARE QUESTIONS GETTING ME MORE CONFUSED WHEN WE CLAIM JUSTICE MUST FAIR. ON WHAT GROUND DO WE SAY FAIRNESS HAS PREVAILED IN A JUDGEMENT LIKE THIS. SOMEBODY SHOULD SCHOOL ME OR ELSE I DIFFER IN MY UNDERSTANDING OF JUDICIAL FAIRNESS. OR DOES GHANAIAN JUDICIAL SYSTEM HAVE DIFFERENT FORM OF FAIRNESS UNDER THE CRIMINAL CODE. MORE QUESTIONS THAN I HAVE ANSWERS TO.