Bernard Antwi-Boasiako EXIM Bank fraud trial to proceed

The criminal trial of Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, will proceed following the collapse of plea-bargaining negotiations with the State. The Accra High Court has ordered the prosecution to file all necessary disclosures within 14 days to facilitate a Case Management Conference scheduled for September 22, 2026.

Boasiako, a former Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), faces charges including defrauding by false pretense, forgery, money laundering, and intentionally causing financial loss to a public institution. The prosecution alleges that between 2018 and 2022, Wontumi Farms Limited obtained approximately GH¢14.3 million from the Ghana Export-Import (EXIM) Bank for a maize-farming project that was never implemented. The total facility involved is estimated to have reached up to GH¢30 million.

Negotiations failed after the State rejected a proposal from the defense that included a payment intended to resolve portions of the case. Deputy Attorney-General Justice Srem-Sai stated that the prosecution found the terms insufficient. Boasiako, who is currently serving a prison sentence for a separate illegal mining conviction, has pleaded not guilty to all charges. His co-accused, Thomas Antwi-Boasiako, remains at large.