Lawyers for the chief executive of good will international, Philip Akpeena Assibit, who is standing trial for allegedly defrauding the state, have wrapped up their cross examination of the first prosecution witness, Nuru Hamidan.

Lead lawyer, Raymond Bagnabu sought to discredit the testimony of Mr. Hamidan.

Nuru Hamidan is a former deputy coordinator of the National Youth Employment Programme, now Ghana Youth Entrepreneurial Development Agency, (GYEEDA).

A former National Coordinator of the programme, Abuga Pele and Mr Assibit are facing 19 counts of defrauding by false pretences, intentionally causing loss to public property, wilfully causing financial loss to the state and abetment of crime.

Assibit is mentioned specifically as having defrauded the state to the tune of 4,165,568.53 by making claims and receiving payments for services he never rendered.

After Assibit's lawyers closed their cross-examination, lawyers for Abuga Pele started their own cross-examination.

Today's cross-examination dwelt largely on whether Goodwill International provided GYEEDA with consultancy services relating to exiting beneficiaries of the NYEP. 

The witness insisted that the GYEEDA designed its own exit strategies. But Mr. Assibit's lawyers maintained his testimony was false. They contended the exit strategies were all designed and provided by Goodwill International.