PHILIP ASSIBIT AKPEENA vs. THE REPUBLIC [2020]DLCA8571

Date	2020-02-13
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. H2/23/2018
Citation No.	[2020]DLCA8571

ADJEI J.A (PRESIDING)

ACKAH-YENSU J.A.

AMADU-TANKO J.A.

EBENEZER AHIATOR FOR APPELLANT

EVELYN D. KEELSON (CSA) FOR RESPONDENT

[2020]DLCA8571
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">PHILIP ASSIBIT AKPEENA<o:p></o:p>(ACCUSED/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B0F0;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">vs.<o:p></o:p>THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>(RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>[COURT OF APPEAL,
ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

CIVIL APPEAL NO.
H2/23/2018&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;DATE: 13TH FEB, 2020<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>EBENEZER AHIATOR FOR APPELLANT<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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EVELYN D. KEELSON
(CSA) FOR RESPONDENT<o:p></o:p>

</div><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;
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mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">CORAM:<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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ADJEI J.A (PRESIDING), ACKAH-YENSU J.A., AMADU-TANKO J.A.<o:p></o:p>

</div>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">ADJEI,J.A: 
The Appellant herein and one Abuga Pele were tried and convicted by the
Financial Division of the High Court Accra and were sentenced to a number of
years. The appeal before us is against both conviction and sentence imposed on
the Appellant herein. The prosecution preferred eleven counts of offence
against the Appellant herein Philip Akpeena Assibit and was convicted of all of
them. The Appellant has appealed against his conviction and sentence on all the
eleven counts. Counts one, two, three, four, five and seven were on&nbsp;
defrauding by false pretences contrary to section 131(1) of the Criminal
Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). Another five counts of offences; namely counts
ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen and fourteen were on Dishonestly Causing Loss to
Public Property contrary to section 2(1) of the Public Property Protection Act
1977, (SMCD 140). Count fifteen was on Wilfully Causing Financial Loss to the
State contrary to section 179 (3) (a) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act
29). The other counts were preferred against Abuga Pele and will not be
discussed in this appeal.<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"><o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 150%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"> 
The facts of the case as presented by the prosecution were that in 2006, the Government
of Ghana set up Ghana Youth Employment Programme&nbsp;(NYEP) now known as Ghana
Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA). It was first
established under the Ministry of Manpower Youth and Social Welfare in 2009 and
subsequently under the Ministry of Youth and Sports to provide job
opportunities to unemployed youth. For the NYEP to achieve its objectives, it
designed various modules involving State institutions and private companies
where the youth were engaged to work. The second accused person Abuga Pele was
appointed the National Coordinator of NYEP in 2009. In 2010, the first and
second accused persons came into contact and the former introduced himself to
the latter as a person who could help NYEP to meet some of its objectives. Soon
after the two accused persons had come into contact, the NYEP represented by
the second accused person and Goodwill International Group (GIG) represented by
the first accused entered into a Memorandum of Understanding. According to the
prosecution, the competent person to have signed the Memorandum of
Understanding for NYEP were the sector Minister or the Attorney - General but
the second accused signed without reference to them. The parties entered into
the Memorandum of Understanding without business proposals or documents forming
the basis for the engagement of GIG as a strategic partner even though both of
them were to share profits equally. The Memorandum of Understanding described
NYEP as the "Host" and GIG as a "Strategic Partner".&nbsp;
GIG as "Strategic Partner" was required by the Memorandum of
Understanding to be responsible for resource mobilization and undertook to
provide preliminary funds for the development of the programme.<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 150%; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"> 
The Appellant made some payment claims for consultancy services rendered from
May 2011 to May 2012 to NYEP ranging from the provision of exit programme for
NYEP to the provision of financial engineering services. As part of the
consultancy services rendered, the Appellant claimed to have provided an exit
plan and strategy for all NYEP modules, established a Youth Enterprise
Develo</main>