'We are not satisfied with Wontumi's plea bargain proposal in EXIM Bank case; so we intend to reject it'

Deputy Attorney-General Justice Srem Sai has disclosed that the Office of the Attorney-General has rejected a plea bargaining proposal submitted by lawyers for Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, in connection with criminal charges arising from a loan facility he obtained from the Ghana Export-Import (EXIM) Bank.

According to Mr Srem Sai, plea bargaining discussions had commenced between the prosecution and the defence, but the proposal presented by Chairman Wontumi's legal team did not meet the state's expectations.

Speaking in an interview with TV3 Ghana, the Deputy Attorney-General said the prosecution had already decided to reject the proposal and was only waiting to formally communicate its decision to the defence during a scheduled meeting.

“They made a plea proposal of what they want to offer. In our opinion, we are not satisfied, and so we intend to reject it. In fact, we have in our minds rejected it, just that we’ve not had a meeting with them to inform them of our rejection.”

Although he declined to reveal the specifics of the proposal, Mr Srem Sai said the Attorney-General's Office was not convinced that the offer adequately addressed the issues at the centre of the case and, therefore, could not accept it in its current form.

“They offered to pay some amount. It’s enough that we are still bargaining. Because plea bargaining is not supposed to be out there. When we finish, we’ll announce the conclusion, but they made an offer.

“It’s enough for the public to know that they made an offer which we found inadequate, and we’re going to meet them to inform them of our rejection.”