The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has pleaded not guilty to four criminal charges in connection with an alleged fraudulent GH¢14.3 million transaction involving the Ghana Export-Import Bank (EXIM Bank).
Chairman Wontumi appeared before the High Court in Accra together with Wontumi Farms Limited represented by Wontumi himself, while the second accused person, Thomas Antwi-Boasiako, remains at large.
The accused persons denied charges of defrauding by false pretence, authoring a forged document, money laundering, and intentionally causing financial loss to a public body.
According to the charge sheet filed by the Attorney-General’s Department, prosecutors allege that Bernard Antwi-Boasiako and Thomas Antwi-Boasiako, in 2018, obtained GH¢14,302,000 from EXIM Bank by false pretences.
The prosecution further alleges that Chairman Wontumi used a forged receipt, knowing it was not genuine, to obtain an additional GH¢4 million from the bank.
Court documents state that the alleged forged receipt was presented to officials of EXIM Bank as proof of payment in support of the transaction.
Under the money laundering charge, prosecutors allege that between 2018 and 2022, Chairman Wontumi took possession of part of the GH¢14.302 million received by Wontumi Farms Limited while allegedly knowing the funds had been acquired through fraudulent means.
The prosecution also accuses Chairman Wontumi, Thomas Antwi-Boasiako, and Wontumi Farms Limited of intentionally causing financial loss exceeding GH¢30 million to EXIM Bank in the course of the business transaction.
During proceedings, counsel for the accused, Andy Appiah-Kubi, prayed the court to maintain the bail conditions earlier granted by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), arguing that the accused persons had consistently cooperated with investigators and honoured all invitations.
He told the court that Chairman Wontumi is a public figure, businessman, and politician with a fixed place of abode and had fully complied with the conditions of his bail.
The prosecution did not oppose the bail application and confirmed that the first accused person had complied with previous bail terms and consistently appeared whenever required.
The court subsequently admitted the accused persons to bail on the existing terms and directed the prosecution to file disclosures ahead of the Case Management Conference.
The matter has been adjourned to June 18, 2026, for CMC.
