Bernard Antwi Boasiako aka Wontumi
A High Court in Accra has granted the Attorney General and Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, additional time to conclude plea bargain negotiations initiated by the embattled businessman, who is accused of causing GH¢30 million financial loss to a public body.
The court, presided over by Justice Halimah El-Alawa Abdul-Bassit, had previously adjourned the case to July 6 to hear the outcome of the plea negotiations initiated by counsel for the accused.
However, Principal State Attorney, Joshua Sackey, told the court yesterday that the negotiations were still ongoing and prayed for a further adjournment to allow both parties to conclude discussions.
The court granted the request and adjourned the case to July 27, 2026, by which time an agreement between the state and the accused may have been reached.
Trial
Chairman Wontumi is standing trial for allegedly causing GH¢30 million financial loss to a public body in connection with a business transaction involving the Ghana Export-Import Bank (Ghana EXIM Bank).
Wontumi, who is also standing trial in two separate courts over mining-related offences, is accused of obtaining GH¢14,302,000 from the bank by false pretences.
He is further accused of using a forged receipt, knowing it was not genuine, to obtain about GH¢4 million from the bank in 2018.
Charged alongside him are Thomas Antwi-Boasiako, who is on the run, and Wontumi Farms Limited.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges and was granted bail by the court, presided over by Justice Halimah El-Alawa Abdul-Bassit, on May 18, 2026.
Plea Bargain
His lawyer, Andy Appiah-Kubi, initiated the plea negotiations in a letter dated June 5, 2026, addressed to the Attorney General regarding the charges against his client.
A notice of commencement of plea negotiations has since been filed by the Deputy Attorney General, Dr. Justice Srem-Sai, in accordance with Section 162C (3) of the Criminal and Other Offences (Procedure) Act, 1960 (Act 30), to formally notify the court while the Attorney General and the defence negotiate the terms of the agreement.
If the negotiations are successful, Chairman Wontumi could receive a reduced sentence. He would also be required to repay the money allegedly lost by the state and pay compensation.
Attorney General’s Brief Facts
Court documents indicate that in January 2018, Wontumi applied to the Ghana EXIM Bank for a GH¢19 million facility to undertake a farming project.
According to the prosecution, he stated in the application that he had secured 100,000 acres of land for the venture.
Attached to the application was a document titled “Board Resolution Letter,” dated January 23, 2018, and signed by Thomas Antwi-Boasiako, indicating that the company’s board of directors had authorised the application through a resolution purportedly passed on December 9, 2017.
The prosecution, however, alleges that the resolution was dated four days before the company was incorporated.
The Attorney General further states that on January 16, 2018, the bank approved a combined loan and grant facility of GH¢18,734,260.
According to the prosecution, the bank subsequently disbursed GH¢14,302,000 to Wontumi Farms Limited, but the accused persons failed to undertake the proposed farming project.
“All efforts by the bank to recover the monies from the accused persons landed on rocks,” the court documents stated.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak