Wontumi’s lawyer jumps ship days to Samreboi illegal mining judgement

The legal challenges confronting the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, alias “Chairman Wontumi”, appear to be intensifying on multiple fronts, following dramatic developments in his two high-profile court cases.

In the Samreboi illegal mining case, his lawyer, Andy Kwame Appiah-Kubi, has strangely filed a motion to withdraw from the matter despite the fact that the Accra High Court has scheduled to deliver its judgment on July 3, 2026, in the matter involving Wontumi, his private company, Akonta Mining Limited and Kwame Antwi.

The move has raised eyebrows, particularly as the former Asante-Akim North Constituency Member of Parliament (NPP) has represented Chairman Wontumi throughout the trial before Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay, vigorously argued the defence’s case, and spoken publicly about the proceedings in countless media interviews.

Interestingly, while Appiah-Kubi is seeking to withdraw from the Samreboi matter, he remains counsel for Chairman Wontumi in the EXIM Bank case, which is being heard by Justice Halimah El-Alawa Abdul-Baasit.

Chairman Wontumi’s plea-bargain negotiations with the State in a separate criminal case involve allegations of fraud, money laundering, and causing financial loss of more than GH¢30 million to the Ghana Export-Import Bank (EXIM Bank).

The Deputy Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Dr Justice Srem-Sai, is leading the prosecution in both cases.

Yesterday, Appiah Kubi, the former NPP MP, disclosed that he has filed a motion to withdraw from the high-profile Samreboi illegal mining case during an appearance on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen show.

He said he has taken steps to withdraw from the case and has already filed the necessary processes with the court.

“For Samreboi, I have filed a motion to withdraw from the case. I’m withdrawing my legal services,” he stated.

“I am withdrawing from the case as counsel. I have informed my client, Chairman Wontumi, and the court. My reasons will be made known in court, but I believe there are too many unseen influences surrounding the case, and I find the judge’s conduct throughout the proceedings unacceptable,” said Andy Appiah-Kubi.

Appiah Kubi, however, declined to disclose the reasons behind his decision, saying the details are contained in an affidavit filed before the court.

“My reasons are in the affidavit. We will take the motion on Monday, so I won’t discuss it,” he said, but suggested that his affidavit contains strong concerns about the conduct of proceedings in the case.

“But I have cried in the affidavit. I pray that the court should be a court, and when it takes its decision, I will discuss it,” he added.

“The case was like someone was shepherding the case. There was no breathing space. It was fast-tracked,” he claimed, adding that the pace of proceedings made it difficult for lawyers involved in the matter.

“If you have something to do, the judge will call you and say, come immediately,” he alleged and revealed plans to petition the legal profession’s regulatory body over the matter.

“I will also petition the Bar Association. Will we sit for this to happen?” he questioned.

The Samreboi case involves Chairman Wontumi and two others over alleged illegal mining activities at a concession in Samreboi, Western Region. The case has attracted significant public and political attention, with the High Court scheduled to deliver judgment on July 3, 2026.

Appiah Kubi called for high-profile criminal cases to be televised to promote transparency in the judicial process, arguing that allowing the public to watch court proceedings would help strengthen confidence in the administration of justice.

“Left to me, the Chief Justice should make them telecast high-profile cases, so we all see what goes down in the court,” he said, arguing that greater public scrutiny of court proceedings would help address concerns about fairness and accountability within the justice system.

According to him, his experiences in court have convinced him that reforms are needed.

“Per my experience, we need to correct ourselves,” he stated, stressing that his commitment is to speak out whenever he believes injustice is taking place, regardless of the personal consequences.

He added that he does not shy away from expressing his views when he feels unfairly treated.

“If it takes me to hand over my licence on the basis of injustice, I will. I don’t decorate my language when I feel I’m being cheated,” he stated.

In the EXIM Bank case, court documents reportedly filed at the Accra High Court yesterday, Thursday, June 11, 2026, indicate that the request for plea negotiations was submitted through his lawyer, Appiah-Kubi, on Friday, 5 June 2026.

The latest development comes less than a month after Chairman Wontumi pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including defrauding by false pretence, uttering a forged document, money laundering, and intentionally causing financial loss to a public institution.

Chairman Wontumi is standing trial alongside Wontumi Farms Limited and Thomas Antwi-Boasiako, who remains at large. The prosecution alleges that the accused persons caused financial loss of more than GH¢30 million to EXIM Bank in connection with a farming project financing arrangement.

According to court filings previously filed by the Attorney-General’s Department, Wontumi Farms applied for a multi-million-cedi facility from EXIM Bank in 2018 to undertake a large-scale agricultural project. Prosecutors contend that representations made to secure the facility were false and that the project was never executed as proposed.

The state further alleges that more than GH¢14 million was disbursed to the company and that a purported receipt used to justify part of the expenditure was forged. Investigators claim the document was originally a pro forma invoice that had been altered before being submitted to the bank.

Prosecutors also maintain that no farming activities were undertaken, no agricultural machinery was purchased, and the land said to have been secured for the project was never acquired.

Under Ghana’s criminal justice framework, plea bargaining allows an accused person and the prosecution to negotiate a possible resolution of criminal charges, subject to court approval.

In June last year, The Herald reported uncovering disturbing details of how politically connected individuals and allies of the previous Akufo-Addo administration siphoned huge sums of money from Exim Bank, Ghana, under the guise of promoting agriculture during the tenure of then-CEO Lawrence Agyinsam.

The revelations suggest that Exim Bank, a key state institution meant to support Ghana’s export-driven businesses, was treated as a cash cow by influential figures within the former government. Loans running into millions of dollars were disbursed based on questionable claims and documentation, with some EXIM Bank Ghana officials complicit.

Notably, “Chairman Wontumi”, who at the time was on a GH¢50 million loan, was reported to have received a substantial loan ostensibly for farming purposes. However, there is no known evidence of the farm’s existence.

Curiously, Wontumi once appeared in a television documentary on UTV, posing as a Maize farmer. At the time, unconfirmed reports suggested that his loan could have been as much as US$18 million. The authenticity of his documents was questioned.

Sources also mentioned that a prominent traditional ruler from the Ashanti Region benefited from a similar facility under the pretext of establishing a farm. Yet, no verifiable agricultural activity has been linked to the funds he reportedly received.

In many cases, applicants are said to have submitted forged documents claiming ownership of large tracts of farmland, some spanning thousands of hectares, to justify the loan applications. Others also claimed to have acquired farming equipment such as tractors, though these assets cannot be traced.

Even more startling are claims that some of the loans have been linked to close relatives of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and senior officials who worked at the Jubilee House.

One case reportedly involves the daughter and spouse of a high-ranking female presidential official, who received over GH¢90 million for a rice farming venture that has yet to materialise.

The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) reportedly invited Exim Bank officials responsible for approving the questionable loans to be questioned.

When the matter went before the court, Chairman Wontumi pleaded not guilty to four counts of defrauding by and intentionally causing financial loss of over GH¢30 million to Exim Bank.

Ahead of yesterday’s plea bargain, the charge sheet filed by the Deputy Attorney-General alleged that Wontumi himself and Thomas Antwi-Boasiako, a Director of Wontumi Farms Limited, used pretences to obtain GH¢14,302,000.00 from the Ghana Export-Import Bank.

He has also been accused of uttering a forged document with the intent to defraud Exim Bank officials by allegedly using a forged receipt to obtain GH¢4,000,000.00 from the Bank.

Again, he has been accused of taking a portion of GH¢14,302,000 from Wontumi Farms Limited, money the prosecution alleges was acquired through fraud.

The prosecution further alleged that all three accused persons, in the course of the transaction with Ghana Exim Bank, intentionally caused the Bank to lose over GH¢30,000,000.00.

Thomas Antwi-Boasiako is currently on the run.

Per the facts of the case, in January 2018, Antwi-Boasiako approached the Ghana Export-Import Bank (Exim Bank), acting ostensibly as Managing Director of Wontumi Farms Limited, and applied for a grant of GH¢19m to finance a farming venture.

The application was accompanied by a “Board Resolution Letter” purportedly authorising the grant, signed by Thomas Antwi-Boasiako in his self-described capacity as Board Chairman.

The prosecution contends that the Board Resolution Letter was dated January 23, 2018, yet bore a resolution, on its face, passed on December 9, 2017, four clear days before Wontumi Farms Limited was incorporated and authorised to commence business on December 14, 2017.

The application further represented to the Bank that a parcel of 100,000 acres of land had been secured for the project, and that the initial 2,500 hectares alone would employ some 6,000 families, or about 38,000 individuals.

On January 16, 2018, the Bank approved a mixed loan and grant facility of GH¢18,734,260.00, to be deployed for agricultural plant and machinery, working capital, staff and labour, and consultancy fees.

Bernard Antwi-Boasiako signed the acceptance in Kumasi on January 23, 2018, with Thomas Antwi-Boasiako as witness. By March 2018, the Bank had disbursed a total of GH¢14,302,000.00 to Wontumi Farms Limited.

Sometime in March 2018, Bernard Antwi-Boasiako presented to the Bank a document bearing the word “Receipt,” representing that Wontumi Farms had purchased GH¢4,000,000.00 worth of agricultural plant and machinery.

The Bank, relying on this document, advanced further funds to the company. “Investigations have since established that the document was not a genuine purchase receipt.

It was originally a pro forma invoice issued by KAS-SAMA Enterprise to Bernard Antwi-Boasiako in response to his price inquiries, indicating that he would return to make the purchase.

“KAS-SAMA Enterprise never heard from him again. The inscription ‘Pro-forma Invoice’ on the document had been altered and replaced with the word ‘Receipt’,” the prosecution stated.

According to the prosecution, investigations have established that none of the proposed farming activities was undertaken. “No agricultural plant or machinery was bought. No person was employed to work on any farm.

“The accused persons did not own or secure the parcel of land they represented to the Bank as secured for the project,” the prosecution stated.

Instead, Chairman Wontumi allegedly withdrew large sums from Wontumi Farms’ bank accounts and applied the monies to personal use, including investment in other business enterprises.