The High Court in Accra has granted the Attorney-General and the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, more time to conclude plea negotiations in a GH¢30m (£1.5m) fraud case.
Mr Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, is accused of defrauding the Ghana Export-Import (Exim) Bank.
On Monday, legal teams for both sides told the court that negotiations were ongoing, prompting the judge to adjourn the case until 27 July 2026.
The aspiring national chairman and his co-accused, Thomas Antwi-Boasiako, face charges including defrauding by false pretence, forgery, money laundering, and causing financial loss to a public body. Both men have pleaded not guilty.
State prosecutors allege that in January 2018, Mr Antwi-Boasiako applied for a GH¢19m grant to finance a farming venture under Wontumi Farms Limited.
The application included a board resolution letter dated days before the company was officially incorporated.
The bank subsequently approved and disbursed more than GH¢14m after the suspects claimed they had secured 100,000 acres of land that would employ thousands of local families.
The prosecution further alleges that Chairman Wontumi later used a forged receipt to secure an additional GH¢4m from the bank. Investigations later revealed the document was an altered pro-forma invoice for machinery that was never purchased.
According to state investigators, no farming activities ever took place, no land was secured, and no staff were hired. Instead, Mr Antwi-Boasiako is accused of withdrawing the funds for personal use and investing them into his other business ventures.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana