Former National Coordinator of the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Agency (GYEEDA), Hon. Abuga Pele, has hit back at critics who have accused him of being part of the alleged corruption and financial malfeasance cited in the report by the five-member ministerial committee that investigated his outfit.
The committee’s report is said to gravely indict Hon. Abuga Pele. He is alleged to have paid monies to a tune of 2.3 million dollars to a consultant who did not work to merit such an amount.
He is also accused of involving himself in other dubious activities when he was head of GYEEDA, formerly the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP).
Though Hon. Abuga Pele has discounted the claims, he appears dissatisfied and gob smacked that his name was included in the report submitted to the Presidency for appropriate sanctions to be meted out to the culprits.
Addressing the issue in an interview with Radio Gold on Thursday, he stressed that there was no way he could have engaged in any financial misappropriation since every activity he undertook in paying the monies was sanctioned by the Ministry of Employment.
He further intimated that he did not dole out the monies on the blind side of the Ministry because the said consultant at the center of the malfeasance worked with Management Development and Productive Institute (MDPI) which, he added is a governmental consultancy under the Ministry.
Though he admitted administering the monies, he maintained that “they were paid only when some tasks had been done and these were submitted, which were then forwarded to the Ministry and a Memo which was critically examined before any payment was being done…So, I am a bit surprised…”
He further explained the circumstances that led to his indictment in the GYEEDA report.
“It was when I was at post within that period that some of these contracts that have been signed were brought to me and once I was still at post, I had to witness them. I didn’t expect somebody else who probably will come in later on to come and witnessed them. So, that was the condition under which I witnessed them. And I was not even asked this question by the Committee anyway.
“The second aspect has to do with the payment of 2.3 million to a supposed consultant for no work done…This was so serious that I expected that at least if it is true that this is the report or this what is contained in the report that is yet to be made public, at least the Committee…would have asked me; why did you authorize payment to this tune?”
He therefore issued a stern warning to his critics to stop the character assassination, saying “supposing it turns out that this is not true, how are they going to retrieve the loss of image and the insults that have hurled all over the place against me?”
Source: Peacefmonline
