Chairman Wontumi sends message to Appiah Kubi after his withdrawal from his cases

Dr Palgrave Boakye-Danquah, a lecturer at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), and spokesperson for the convicted Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has revealed that Wontumi has expressed his appreciation to his lead counsel, Andy Appiah Kubi.

According to the UPSA lecturer, when Wontumi appeared before the High Court in Accra on July 27, 2026, in connection with his Exim Bank case, he asked him to convey his gratitude to Andy Appiah Kubi, who had earlier withdrawn his legal services and handed over the case to lawyer Atta Akyea before Wontumi was convicted.

He has also withdrawn from representing Wontumi in the ongoing Exim Bank case.

Dr Boakye-Danquah said Wontumi specifically asked him to thank Appiah Kubi for his dedication and legal representation throughout his court cases.

"He said I should let him know that he appreciates what he has done for him. He asked me to convey that message.

“So yesterday, I spoke to Lawyer Andy Appiah Kubi and told him what Wontumi had said. Appiah Kubi had travelled to Koforidua to handle a different case, so his secretary brought all the case dockets to Lawyer Atta Akyea in court," he said.

Chairman Wontumi has been sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment after Criminal Court 4 of the High Court found him guilty on all six charges brought against him.

In a judgment delivered on Monday, July 20, 2026, Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay ordered that the prison terms run concurrently.

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The court also fined Wontumi 10,000 penalty units on each of the six counts.

Akonta Mining Limited, which was also convicted on two counts, was fined 15,000 penalty units on each count.

The convictions were secured under the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), as amended by the Minerals and Mining (Amendment) Act, 2020 (Act 995), which prescribes stiffer penalties for illegal mining-related offences.

Chairman Wontumi, Akonta Mining Limited, and a third accused person, Kwame Antwi, were prosecuted over alleged illegal mining activities on the company's concession at Samreboi in the Western Region.

According to the prosecution, the accused unlawfully assigned mineral rights on the concession without the approval of the sector minister and facilitated mining activities without the required authorization, contrary to the provisions of the Minerals and Mining Act.

GEXIM Bank Trial

Separately, Chairman Wontumi and Thomas Antwi-Boasiako, a director of Wontumi Farms Limited, are standing trial over allegations of fraud involving the Ghana Export-Import Bank (GEXIM).

Prosecutors allege that the two used false pretences to obtain GH¢14,302,000 from the bank.

Chairman Wontumi is also accused of forging a document to fraudulently secure an additional GH¢4,000,000 and of laundering part of the funds. The prosecution further alleges that the transactions caused a financial loss of more than GH¢30 million to the state.

He has pleaded not guilty to four counts of defrauding by false pretence, forgery, money laundering, and intentionally causing financial loss to a public body.

According to the prosecution, Chairman Wontumi applied in January 2018, in his capacity as Managing Director of Wontumi Farms Limited, for a GH¢19 million facility to finance a farming project.

The application was accompanied by a board resolution purportedly authorizing the loan.

However, investigators allege that the resolution was dated January 23, 2018, but referred to a board resolution supposedly passed on December 9, 2017, four days before Wontumi Farms Limited was incorporated on December 14, 2017.

The application also claimed that the company had secured 100,000 acres of land and that the first phase of the project would employ about 6,000 families, representing approximately 38,000 people.

On January 16, 2018, GEXIM approved a combined loan and grant facility totaling GH¢18,734,260 for agricultural machinery, working capital, staff costs, and consultancy services. By March 2018, the bank had disbursed GH¢14,302,000 to Wontumi Farms Limited.

The prosecution further alleges that Chairman Wontumi later submitted a document marked "Receipt," claiming the company had purchased GH¢4,000,000 worth of agricultural machinery.

Relying on the document, the bank released additional funds.

Investigators, however, contend that the document was not a genuine receipt but a pro-forma invoice issued by KAS-SAMA Enterprise after Chairman Wontumi had inquired about equipment prices. They allege the words "Pro-forma Invoice" were altered and replaced with the word "Receipt."

According to the prosecution, investigations also established that none of the proposed farming activities was carried out.

It alleges that no agricultural machinery was purchased, no workers were employed, and the land presented to the bank as secured for the project had neither been acquired nor leased by the company.

Instead, prosecutors claim Chairman Wontumi withdrew substantial sums from the company's bank accounts and used the funds for personal purposes, including investments in other business ventures.

The allegations remain before the court, and Chairman Wontumi has denied any wrongdoing.



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