Chairman Wontumi Pleads Not Guilty in GH¢30m Exim Bank Criminal Case

• Former NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman Wontumi entered a not guilty plea to amended charges when the case was called on Tuesday, October 13, 2026
• The amended charge sheet accuses Wontumi of uttering a forged pro-forma invoice from EPSONS GHANA LIMITED to obtain GH¢4 million from Exim Bank in 2017
• His lawyer Samuel Atta Akyea argued the matter is civil in nature, with Wontumi and Wontumi Farms filing a High Court suit to halt the criminal prosecution

Former New Patriotic Party Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi Boasiako, widely known as Chairman Wontumi, has entered a not guilty plea to amended charges in a criminal case linked to the Ghana Export-Import Bank.

The amended charge sheet, dated September 19, 2026, maintains an allegation of uttering a forged document under Section 169 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).

The document in question is identified as a pro-forma invoice from EPSONS GHANA LIMITED.

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Prosecutors allege that in 2017, in the Greater Accra Region, Antwi-Boasiako knowingly used the document with the intent to defraud Exim Bank officials and secure GH¢4 million from the institution.

Fresh pleas were taken from all accused persons after the charge sheet was amended. When the matter came before the court on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, his lawyer Samuel Atta Akyea argued that the case is fundamentally a civil dispute about loan repayment rather than a criminal matter.

Wontumi Farms takes dispute to High Court

Antwi-Boasiako and Wontumi Farms have separately filed a High Court suit seeking a declaration that the loan repayment disagreement is civil in nature.

The suit names Exim Bank, the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) and the Attorney-General as defendants.

The plaintiffs state that a loan facility exceeding GH¢18 million was taken out to finance a farming project, with a 10,000-acre parcel of land put up as mortgage security.

Antwi-Boasiako also provided a personal guarantee against default.

According to the plaintiffs, the farming venture suffered serious losses due to flooding from four rivers surrounding the property, and the bank was notified of these difficulties and reportedly promised to activate an insurance package to cover the outstanding loan.

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The plaintiffs further accuse EOCO of acting beyond its mandate by functioning as a debt collector rather than allowing the matter to proceed as a civil loan dispute.

Atta Akyea has consistently maintained that the disagreement ought to be resolved through civil proceedings.

The Facebook post below provides more details about Wontumi’s case against Exim Bank.

Charges against Chairman Wontumi

Alongside the charge of uttering a forged document, the broader criminal proceedings against Antwi-Boasiako include allegations of defrauding by false pretences, money laundering, and intentionally causing financial loss to the state.

The case continues to be heard before the court.

Kofi Ofosu Nkansah warns over Wontumi's sentence

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported on Kofi Ofosu Nkansah's public warning to former President John Mahama and his appointees following Chairman Wontumi's 20-year prison sentence for illegal mining offences.

Nkansah's assertion that the conviction is politically motivated raises critical questions about the use of legal proceedings in Ghanaian politics.

Source: YEN.com.gh