Omanghana
Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has pleaded not guilty to five criminal charges at the Accra High Court in connection with an alleged GH¢30 million financial loss involving the Ghana Export-Import Bank.
The charges include defrauding by false pretense, two counts of uttering forged documents, money laundering and intentionally causing financial loss to a public body. He is being prosecuted alongside Wontumi Farms Limited and another director, Thomas Antwi-Boasiako, who is reportedly at large.
The pleas were entered after the court accepted the prosecution’s application to replace its original charge sheet, filed in May 2026, with an amended version filed on September 22, 2026. Principal State Attorney Joshua Sackey presented the application, which the defense did not oppose.
The amended particulars identify EPSONS GHANA LIMITED as the company whose pro-forma invoice was allegedly used to obtain GH¢4 million from the bank. Prosecutors contend that the document was presented with the intention of deceiving bank officials into releasing the funds.
The wider case concerns funding secured through Wontumi Farms Limited for a proposed agricultural project. According to the prosecution, approximately GH¢14.3 million was obtained from Exim Bank through false representations, with the alleged financial loss subsequently reaching GH¢30 million.
Prosecutors allege that the farming project was never implemented and that the agricultural inputs required for the proposed maize cultivation were not purchased. They further claim that the funds were used for personal purposes. Wontumi has denied the charges.
His lawyer, Samuel Atta Akyea, has challenged the decision to pursue criminal proceedings, describing the dispute as a civil debt matter involving a bank and a commercial borrower.
Justice Halimah El-Alawa Abdul-Baasit adjourned the proceedings to October 27, 2026, for a case management conference. The prosecution was directed to file and serve the relevant documents on the defense ahead of the next stage of the trial.
Source: Omanghana
