Wontumi fails to secure plea deal in GH¢30m EXIM Bank case

Plea bargain negotiations between the State and New Patriotic Party (NPP) Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, have collapsed in an alleged GH¢30 million EXIM Bank fraud case.

The Accra High Court has consequently directed the prosecution to file its disclosures within 14 days, paving the way for the case to proceed to trial.

Wontumi had been in negotiations with the State for about a month in an attempt to resolve the case through a plea bargain. However, the discussions ended after prosecutors rejected a proposal submitted by his legal team.

Deputy Attorney-General Justice Srem-Sai previously told the court that the proposal did not adequately address the State’s concerns.

“They made a plea proposal of what they want to offer. In our opinion, we are not satisfied, and so we intend to reject it,” he said.

The State had indicated that Wontumi’s lawyers proposed a payment to resolve aspects of the case, but prosecutors considered the offer insufficient.

With the negotiations unsuccessful, the court has now ordered the prosecution to provide the defence with the evidence and other documents it intends to rely on during the trial.

The disclosure process will allow Wontumi and his lawyers to examine the prosecution’s case and prepare their defence.

Wontumi and his co-accused, Thomas Antwi-Boasiako, have pleaded not guilty to four charges: defrauding by false pretence, forgery, money laundering and intentionally causing financial loss to a public institution.

The prosecution alleges that between 2018 and 2022, the accused persons obtained about GH¢14.3 million from the Ghana Export-Import Bank through Wontumi Farms Limited for a farming project which was not undertaken.

The State further alleges that Wontumi submitted a forged receipt in support of an application for an additional GH¢4 million credit facility.

Both accused persons have denied the allegations.

The court’s order for disclosures marks the next stage of the proceedings after the collapse of the plea bargain talks, with the prosecution now required to file the documents within 14 days.