Mr Philip Assibit, one of the two persons jailed in 2018 for his role in the National Youth Employment Agency (NYEP) scandal, has been granted a presidential pardon by President Akufo-Addo on health grounds.

Presidential pardons have become common mostly at the end of presidential tenures in Ghana and elsewhere.

Mr Assibit, a private service provider to the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency, formerly NYEP, and the then CEO of Goodwill International Ghana (GIG) was found guilty of six of the 19 counts he faced including defrauding by false pretence.

He was jailed along with Abuga Pele after they were found guilty of the 19 counts including dishonestly causing financial loss to the state.

Mr Assibit was accused of putting in a false claim for payments to the tune of 3.3 million cedis as services provided by the then NYEP.

This included developing an exit programme and securing a grant of 65 million 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.

Abuga Pele went in for six years but was the first to be pardoned by President Akufo-Addo in July 2021 also on health grounds, while Philip Assibit, who has now served half of his term was jailed for 12 years.

Philip Assibit is among a list of eleven convicts to be pardoned by President Akufo-Addo.

Notable among the nine is the founder of defunct Capital Bank, William Ato Essien, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison by an Accra High Court in December 2023.

He has also been pardoned on health grounds.

He was sentenced for his role in the collapse of the bank and sentenced to pay GHS90 million. He defaulted after paying part of the money and was sentenced to 15 years in prison in December 2023.

According to the president, he has undergone a series of life-threatening multiple surgeries since he was jailed.

The list of the pardoned convicts is provided below:

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