Chairman Wontumi Pleads Not Guilty to Fraud Charges Involving GH¢14.3 Million EXIM Bank Transaction

The Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, also known as the NPP Chairman Wontumi, has pleaded not guilty to four criminal charges connected with a fraudulent transaction in respect of GH¢14.3 million of the Ghana Export-Import Bank (EXIM Bank). Wontumi appeared before the High Court in Accra on Thursday in connection with Wontumi Farms Limited that he is an executive representative of. Thomas Antwi-Boasiako, the second accused person, is currently at large. All four charges, defrauding by false pretences, authoring a forged document, money laundering, and intentionally causing financial loss to a public body have been denied by the defendant. On false pretences it was alleged in the charge sheet filed by the Attorney General’s Department that Bernard Antwi-Boasiako and Thomas Antwi-Boasiako obtained GH¢14,302,000 from EXIM Bank in 2018.

The prosecution also accuses Chairman Wontumi of using a forged receipt, which was already fake, to obtain an additional GH¢4 million from that bank. The forged receipt was shown in court records as proof of payment for the transaction to EXIM Bank officials. On the money laundering charge, prosecutors stated that Chairman Wontumi took possession between 2018 and 2022 of a portion of the GH¢14.302 million transferred to Wontumi Farms Limited, knowing the funds were proceeds of crime. The parties, in conjunction with Wontumi Farms Limited, have also been indicted for inducing EXIM Bank to suffer financial loss in excess of GH¢30 million by design.

During the hearing, the counsel for the accused, Andy Appiah-Kubi, asked the court to enforce the bail terms that had been awarded by the EOCO prior to the trial. He maintained that his client had fully cooperated with investigations and always followed through on invitations. The prosecution did not challenge his application for bail, observing that Chairman Wontumi had kept bail terms prior to the hearing. The judge admitted the accused under bail per the same terms and directed the prosecution to file disclosures before the Case Management Conference (CMC). The case has been adjourned to Wednesday, June 18, 2026, for the Case Management Conference.

Editor:

Obiri-Yeboah