Former Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, familiarly known as Chairman Wontumi, has taken legal action against the Ghana Exim Bank, the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), and the Attorney General.
He is asking the High Court to halt criminal proceedings in a contentious loan dispute involving his company, Wontumi Farms, and the state-owned bank.
Chairman Wontumi and Wontumi Farms, represented by lawyer Samuel Atta-Akyea, contend that the dispute, centering on a loan of over GH¢18 million granted for a farming project, should be treated strictly as a civil matter, not a criminal one. The plaintiffs are currently facing criminal charges that include defrauding by false pretences, money laundering, and causing financial loss to the state.
According to their statement of claim, the plaintiffs argue that EOCO has overstepped its mandate by acting as a debt collector in what they insist is a contractual disagreement. They stress that Wontumi Farms used a 10,000-acre parcel of land as collateral for the loan and that Chairman Wontumi himself provided a personal guarantee for repayment in case of default. They further assert that Ghana Exim Bank agreed to secure insurance to cover the facility.
Chairman Wontumi and his company deny any wrongdoing or deceit in acquiring the facility. They are urging the court to declare the case a civil debt matter and to direct Ghana Exim Bank to seek recovery through the mortgage, personal guarantee, or insurance cover, rather than through criminal prosecution.
Source: Apexnewsgh.com