The High Court in Accra has given the Attorney-General (A-G) 14 days to file disclosures in the alleged GH₵30 million Ghana Export-Import Bank (EXIM Bank) fraud case involving the former Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Wontumi.
The disclosures are expected to include a list of documents the A-G intends to rely on in prosecuting the case.
The court subsequently adjourned the matter to September 22, 2026, for a case management conference.
Mr Antwi Boasiako is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence at the Nsawam Medium Security Prison after he was found guilty of deliberately facilitating illegal mining activities at his Samreboi concession.
In the EXIM Bank case, Mr Boasiako entered into plea-bargaining negotiations with the Attorney-General on June 5, 2026, after the State charged him with allegedly obtaining an EXIM Bank facility through fraudulent means for a farming project.
Under Ghana’s plea-bargaining regime, an accused person may avoid a full trial by reaching an agreement with the prosecution, subject to the approval of the court. If approved, the court may impose a fine, a non-custodial sentence or any other lawful punishment.
Mr Boasiako, who is the first accused, his brother, Thomas Antwi-Boasiako, the second accused who is currently at large, and Wontumi Farms Limited, have been charged with defrauding by false pretence, money laundering and uttering forged documents.
According to the prosecution, Mr Boasiako applied to EXIM Bank in January 2018 for funding to undertake a large-scale farming project, claiming to have secured about 100,000 acres of land for the venture.
The Deputy Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Dr Justice Srem-Sai, told the court that the bank subsequently approved a loan and grant facility of GH₵18.73 million, out of which GH₵14.3 million was disbursed to Wontumi Farms Limited.
The prosecution alleged that investigations established that the proposed farming project was never undertaken and that no agricultural machinery was purchased as claimed.
It further alleged that the accused presented an altered document to the bank as evidence of the purchase of agricultural equipment worth GH₵4 million in order to secure further disbursement of funds.
According to the prosecution, investigations revealed that the document was originally a pro forma invoice issued by KAS-SAMA Enterprise, but was allegedly altered and presented to the bank as a receipt.
The State further alleged that substantial amounts from the facility were withdrawn and used for personal purposes and other business ventures, while efforts by EXIM Bank to recover the funds proved unsuccessful.
BY MALIK SULLEMANA
You can now read the *Ghanaian Times* and *The Spectator* newspapers digitally on [TimesNewsPlus](https://timesnewsplus.com/newspapers).
Follow our WhatsApp Channel now! https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbAjG7g3gvWajUAEX12Q
