Bernard Antwi Boasiako, also known as Chairman Wontumi, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has denied allegations that his company, Hallmark Engineering, received a GH₵50 million payment from the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) in the final days of the Akufo-Addo administration.
This denial comes in response to reports claiming that the payment was made despite a directive from the incoming Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, to suspend contract payments during the transition period.
Wontumi described the claims as misleading and urged the Ghanaian public to disregard them.
“I did not collect any money from COCOBOD,” Wontumi told journalists in Accra on Monday, May 26, shortly after being granted bail in connection with illegal mining allegations.
He explained that contractors typically pre-finance projects and are reimbursed after completion and assessment.
“When constructing a road, the government does not provide upfront payment; instead, the contractor uses their own funds,” he stated.
Wontumi disclosed that his company completed the project using internal resources and was eligible for reimbursement after the work was done and properly assessed.
“The contractor is reimbursed only after the road is completed and assessed by engineers from the Ghana Highways Authority and COCOBOD, who value the project based on agreed rates,” he explained.
He noted that the contract specified payment within 28 days of project completion, but COCOBOD took nearly three years to fulfil its financial obligation. “Therefore, COCOBOD cannot claim that they do not owe us,” he concluded.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
