Lawyer Kwaku Paintsil, counsel for incarcerated Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Goodwill International Ghana (GIG) left many laughing in the courtroom on Friday when in pleading for a mitigated sentence for his client, said he was a chief with an unnumbered children
His plea was after the court found him guilty of six of the 19 counts he faced including defrauding by false pretense and prior to his sentence demanded to hear from his lawyer.
To the shock of the trial judge and court officials, Lawyer Kwaku Paintsil pleaded with the trial judge, Justice Afia Serwaa Asare Botwe not to convict him into custodial sentence beyond six months.
His explanation that the prisons are full and his client is a chief and an entrepreneur who has an “unnumbered children”
But the judge convicted the accused to a 12-year jail term and also directed his properties be attached to offset some of the debt incurred.
Abuga Pele, a former Member of Parliament for Chiana-Paga and Philip Assibit Akpenaa have since 2014 been before the court on various charges including defrauding by false pretenses.
Mr 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.
Mr Pele is alleged to have entered into the agreement with Mr Assibit and prevailed upon the state to make payments when no work has been done.
1 comment
When you think you can spent poor this is how your life will end but their sentence is minimal