Court adjourns Wontumi’s Exim Bank case to November 2 and 3 for prosecution’s disclosures

The Accra High Court has adjourned the trial of former Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, over an alleged financial loss of more than GH¢30 million to the Ghana Export-Import Bank (Exim Bank).

The case has been adjourned to November 2 and 3, 2026, to allow the court to receive the prosecution’s disclosures and give the defence adequate time to examine the documents.

The development followed the court’s indication that it had not received copies of the disclosures, although the prosecution said the documents had been filed and served on the defence in two batches.

Deputy Attorney-General Dr Justice Srem-Sai, who led the prosecution on Tuesday, October 27, told the court that the first batch was filed on October 23, while the second was filed on October 26.

Counsel for the accused persons, Samuel Atta Akyea, said he had obtained his copy of the documents from the court registry on October 27 and needed sufficient time to study them before proceedings could continue.

“I was going to invite the court to give me some latitude to peruse the documents. Because the liberty of the individual is at stake, I should be able to read through,” he said.

Presiding judge Justice Halimah El-Alawa Abdul-Baasit subsequently adjourned the matter to enable the court to obtain the disclosures and allow counsel reasonable time to review the material.

The prosecution is yet to call its first witness in the case.

Chairman Wontumi is standing trial alongside Thomas Antwi-Boasiako, who is currently at large, and Wontumi Farms Limited over allegations of causing a financial loss of more than GH¢30 million to Exim Bank.

According to the prosecution, the accused persons obtained GH¢14.302 million from the bank in 2018 through false pretences in connection with a proposed farming project.

Mr Antwi-Boasiako faces five charges: defrauding by false pretence, two counts of uttering forged documents, money laundering and intentionally causing financial loss to a public body.

The prosecution alleges that documents submitted to secure funding for the project were forged or altered and that the proposed farming activities were never undertaken.

Mr Antwi-Boasiako has pleaded not guilty to all five charges.