[2020]DLCA8571 Login to Read Full Case <span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><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;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; color:#00B0F0;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">PHILIP ASSIBIT AKPEENA</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">(ACCUSED/APPELLANT)</span></i><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"; color:#00B0F0;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">vs.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:#00B0F0">THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:107%; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">(RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:107%; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">[COURT OF APPEAL, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;border:none; mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">CIVIL APPEAL NO. H2/23/2018 </span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">DATE: </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">13<sup>TH</sup> </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">FEB, 2020</span><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:107%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif">EBENEZER AHIATOR FOR APPELLANT<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">EVELYN D. KEELSON (CSA) FOR RESPONDENT<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:107%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">CORAM:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">ADJEI J.A (PRESIDING), ACKAH-YENSU J.A., AMADU-TANKO J.A.<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"> <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"> <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"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;line-height:150%"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">ADJEI,J.A:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"><br> 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 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><b><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></u></b></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;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;"><br> The facts of the case as presented by the prosecution were that in 2006, the Government of Ghana set up Ghana Youth Employment Programme (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". 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.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"><o:p></o:p></span></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;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;"><br> 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