GYEEDA rot: AG opted for refund in lieu of prosecuting firms - Atubiga

The Attorney General agreed to a refund in lieu of prosecution of the companies indicted in the GYEEDA rot, an insider and member of the governing party has revealed.

Mr Stephen Atubiga told Radio XYZ that the AG and Minister of Justice came to that amicable agreement with the firms following several, but separate meetings held between the companies and the Economic and Organised Crimes Office (EOCO) on the one hand, and the Attorney General on the other hand, concerning the rot at the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA).

According to Mr Atubiga, who was a studio guest on Radio XYZ’s news analysis programme The Analyst on Saturday, the Attorney General, Marietta Brew Appiah Oppong and the firms reached the agreement in lieu of prosecution, after EOCO had presented its investigative findings to her Office over the matter.

The failed MP Aspirant said the AG’s decision was based on the consideration that prosecuting the firms in court will amount to wasting state resources.

Mr Atubiga said he knew about the agreement because he represented one of the companies indicted in the rot - Discovery, which trained people in the oil and gas industry - at various meetings held between them and the Attorney General over the matter.

“…There’s something they call deposition – even though you may be a criminal, there are certain circumstances that make both parties to sit [at] the roundtable and agree and disagree, then they’ll table their views to the Judge [as to] whether to continue or come out with [an] amicable solution…that took place. That is why Asontaba and all those companies agreed that: ‘look Attorney General said this is what you’ve done wrong, we’re taking you to court [with] the sole [aim] of recouping this money; if you think you can pay us that money, there’s no need wasting each other’s time’”, Mr Atubiga said.

The Government on January 9, 2014 terminated all service contracts between GYEEDA and its service providers including Rlg Communication's training module, Asongtaba Cottage Industry & Exchange Programme (ACI&EP) and the Better Ghana Management Services Limited, a subsidiary of Jospong Group, the parent company of Zoomlion.

A letter to that effect, signed by the Chief Director of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Alhaji Abdulai Yakubu, and addressed to the service providers, said: "I am directed to convey to you, Government's decision to discontinue or terminate the contract with immediate effect".

"You are hereby requested to continue to have engagements with the Attorney General's Department and Ministry of Justice on your liabilities to GYEEDA and ensure the refund of same to Government", it added.