In a courtroom drama that has captured national attention, Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi and the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, stood before the High Court in Accra to answer to four serious criminal charges. The charges, defrauding by false pretence, forgery, money laundering, and intentionally causing a financial loss of over GH¢30 million to the Ghana Export-Import Bank (Exim Bank), were read out in a session presided over by Justice Halimah El-Alawa Abdul-Baasit.
Chairman Wontumi, represented by his lawyer Andy Appiah-Kubi, entered a plea of not guilty. After an application by his lawyer, which was not opposed by Deputy Attorney-General Dr. Justice Srem-Sai, Wontumi was granted bail.
Meanwhile, his alleged accomplice and Director of Wontumi Farms Limited, Thomas Antwi-Boasiako, remains at large, with authorities still seeking his whereabouts.
The prosecution’s case paints an elaborate picture of deception. According to the charge sheet, Chairman Wontumi and Thomas Antwi-Boasiako are accused of using false pretences to obtain GH¢14.3 million from Exim Bank.
They allegedly presented falsified documents, including a “Board Resolution Letter” with suspicious dates, and claimed to have secured 100,000 acres of land and employment for 38,000 people. Based on these representations, Exim Bank approved a mixed loan and grant facility of nearly GH¢19 million, ultimately disbursing over GH¢14 million to Wontumi Farms Limited by March 2018.
The prosecution further alleges that in March 2018, Chairman Wontumi submitted a document labeled as a “Receipt” to secure an additional GH¢4 million from the bank, claiming it was for the purchase of agricultural machinery.
However, state investigations revealed that the so-called receipt was in fact a doctored pro-forma invoice from KAS-SAMA Enterprise, originally issued only for a price inquiry.
“No agricultural plant or machinery was bought. No person was employed to work on any farm. The accused persons did not own or secure the parcel of land they represented to the Bank as secured for the project,” prosecutors stated. Instead, large sums withdrawn from the company’s accounts were allegedly used for Wontumi’s personal investments and other business enterprises.
As the case unfolds, the nation watches closely, awaiting the court’s verdict on one of the most high-profile financial crime cases in recent years.
Source: Apexnewsgh.com