Wontumi pleads not guilty to five charges in GH¢30m Exim Bank fraud case

Former Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has pleaded not guilty to five criminal charges in a case involving an alleged financial loss of more than GH¢30 million to the Ghana Export-Import Bank (Exim Bank).

Mr Antwi-Boasiako entered his pleas when he appeared before the Accra High Court on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, to answer charges of defrauding by false pretence, two counts of forgery, money laundering and intentionally causing financial loss to a public body.

The pleas followed a decision by the court, presided over by Justice Halimah El-Alawa Abdul-Baasit, to allow the prosecution to replace its original charge sheet, filed on May 15, 2026, with an amended version dated September 22, 2026.

Principal State Attorney Joshua Sackey, who led the prosecution, asked the court to withdraw the earlier charge sheet and substitute it with the amended document.

Lawyer for the accused persons, Samuel Atta Akyea, did not oppose the application.

The amended charge sheet identifies EPSONS GHANA LIMITED as the issuer of a pro-forma invoice allegedly used to secure GH¢4 million from Exim Bank. The prosecution contends that the document was presented with the intention of defrauding officials of the bank.

Mr Antwi-Boasiako is standing trial alongside Thomas Antwi-Boasiako, who is currently at large, and Wontumi Farms Limited over the alleged financial loss to the bank.

Wontumi seeks bail

After the pleas were taken, Mr Atta Akyea applied for bail for his client, arguing that the dispute was civil in nature.

He also drew the court’s attention to the fact that the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) had previously granted Mr Antwi-Boasiako bail.

The court adjourned the case to October 27, 2026, at 11 a.m. for the commencement of the Case Management Conference.

Background to the case

The prosecution alleges that Mr Antwi-Boasiako and Thomas Antwi-Boasiako obtained GH¢14.302 million from Exim Bank in 2018 through false pretences.

The case also involves allegations that a document connected to the purchase of agricultural machinery was forged and presented to the bank.

The accused persons are further facing allegations of money laundering and intentionally causing financial loss to the state, with the prosecution putting the alleged loss to Exim Bank at more than GH¢30 million.