Abuga Pele now football coach in prison – Ofosu-Ampofo

Incarcerated former National Coordinator for the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), Abuga Pele, is now a football coach at the Nsawam Medium Prison in the Eastern Region.

National Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, revealed the new passion of the former NDC MP for Chiana-Paga in an interview after visiting the inmate.

Mr Pele has served two years of his six-year jail term, which began in 2018 after being convicted in connection with the GHC 4.1 million Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA) Scandal.

After a donation exercise at the Nsawam Prisons on Wednesday, Mr Ofosu-Ampofo told the media that Mr Pele also serves as a teacher to help with academics for some inmates.

“When we went he was on the field coaching a team. Two teams were playing, and we were told that he is a coach of one of the teams,” he disclosed.

He observed that they spotted Mr Pele stretching his neck to have a better view of an ongoing football match to determine if his team was winning.

Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo said the NDC team which comprised the NDC Deputy General Secretary, Peter Otukonor; a former Health Minister, Alex Segbefia; and private legal practitioner, Abraham Amaliba, were delighted that Mr Pele was putting his talent to use.

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Mr Ofosu-Ampofo indicated that Mr. Pele would have been actively teaching if not for the closure of the schools.

“He has now become a very useful asset here for the authorities teaching, coaching and doing all sort of other things,” he pointed out.

Mr Pele was jailed along businessman, Philip Akpeena Assibit, who had 12 years for his involvement in the GYEEDA rot.

The Financial and Economic Crimes Division of the Accra High Court, presided over by Mrs Justice Afia Serwaa Asare-Botwe, found Assibit guilty of putting in false claims that he had secured a $65-million World Bank funding for the creation of one million jobs for the youth, resulting in the government parting with GH¢4.1 million.

The court also found Pele guilty of causing loss to the state.