How Chairman Wontumi allegedly forged an invoice by altering the word to ‘receipt’ — AG

Bernard Antwi Bosiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi

The Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, has detailed how the New Patriotic Party’s Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi Bosiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, allegedly altered an invoice to deceive the Ghana Exim Bank into believing that farm equipment had been purchased.

According to him, investigations show that the transaction formed part of a broader scheme by Wontumi Farms Limited to fraudulently access a state-backed loan facility.

Addressing the Government Accountability Series on Monday, December 22, Dr. Ayine said Chairman Wontumi obtained a pro forma invoice from an industrial equipment dealer, Kasapa Enterprise, but later altered it to appear as a receipt.

“He forged the invoice he obtained from Kasapa Enterprise by removing the word ‘invoice’ and replacing it with ‘receipt’ to deceive Exim Bank into believing that the equipment had been purchased,” the Attorney-General stated.

Dr. Ayine explained that the forged document was submitted after the bank demanded proof that equipment listed under the GHS18.7 million loan facility had been procured despite investigations revealing that no such equipment was ever bought. Zintego

He noted that the forged receipt itself exposed the alleged fraud because it contained terms typical of a pro forma invoice, including delivery timelines and warranty conditions.

“The so-called receipt had ‘50 days to supply and one-year guarantee,’ which clearly shows it was originally a pro forma invoice and not proof of purchase,” he said.

As a result, he said the Economic and Organised Crime Office has concluded investigations, leading to a decision to prosecute Wontumi Farms Limited and its directors for causing financial loss to the state amounting to GHS24,255,735, representing the principal and accrued interest on the loan.