Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party widely known as Chairman Wontumi, has officially sought a plea deal with the Attorney-General regarding his criminal prosecution for an alleged loan fraud amounting to GH¢14.3 million.
The case centers on funds obtained from the Ghana Export-Import Bank.
On Thursday, June 11, 2026, Deputy Attorney-General Dr. Justice Srem-Sai submitted a Notification of Commencement of Plea Negotiation at the Accra High Court under docket number CR/0529/2026.
This legal filing indicates that Wontumi’s defense attorney, Mr. Andy Appiah-Kubi, initiated the request in a letter sent to the Attorney-General on June 5, 2026. The move aligns with Section 162C(3) of Act 30, which regulates plea bargaining within the Ghanaian legal framework.
The state’s prosecution names Chairman Wontumi as the primary defendant, alongside Wontumi Farms Limited as the third defendant.
The second accused, Thomas Antwi-Boasiako, has not yet been apprehended by authorities.
Together, they face a four-count indictment that includes defrauding by false pretense, using forged documents, laundering money, and deliberately causing financial losses to a state institution.
The state’s formal indictment, filed on May 15, 2026, alleges that the defendants acquired roughly GH¢14.3 million from Exim Bank in 2018 by falsely claiming the money would fund a massive agricultural development.
Prosecutors state that Wontumi Farms Limited originally sought a GH¢19 million credit line, backed by paperwork asserting ownership of a 100,000-acre agricultural site.
Investigators flagged several anomalies in the documentation.
Specifically, a purported board resolution letter dated January 23, 2018, referenced a corporate decision made on December 9, 2017.
This timeline is problematic because the business was not legally registered until December 14, 2017, meaning the resolution predated the company’s official existence by several days.
Furthermore, the state contends that despite the bank releasing about GH¢14.3 million, no agricultural work ever began, no farming machinery was bought, and no employees were hired.
Prosecution documentation also asserts that a receipt meant to verify the acquisition of farming machinery was completely fabricated.
The final count of the indictment alleges that the actions of Wontumi, Thomas Antwi-Boasiako, and Wontumi Farms Limited ultimately cost the Ghana Export-Import Bank more than GH¢30 million, claiming a significant portion of the funds was funneled into personal accounts and separate, unrelated commercial projects.
During his initial arraignment on May 18, 2026, Chairman Wontumi maintained his innocence and pleaded not guilty to every count.
The court subsequently set June 18, 2026, for a Case Management Conference to determine the next steps of the trial.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana