The state has refiled charges against former Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako—popularly known as Chairman Wontumi—over his alleged role in defrauding Ghana Exim Bank of more than GH¢14 million and causing financial loss to the state estimated at GH¢30 million.
This development follows the collapse of plea negotiations between the defence and the state. Wontumi’s legal team, initially led by Andy Appiah Kubi and later by Samuel Atta Akyea, had engaged the prosecution in plea discussions after he was first arraigned on May 18, 2026.
Although the Deputy Attorney-General Dr. Justice Srem-Sai indicated on July 27, 2026 that talks were “far advanced,” the parties ultimately failed to reach an agreement.
As a result, the prosecution refiled the charges on September 22, 2026. The fresh charges include defrauding by false pretences, uttering a forged document, money laundering, and causing financial loss to the state.
In court on Tuesday, state prosecutors applied to withdraw the old charge sheet to pave the way for the new one. However, Wontumi’s lawyers requested an adjournment, citing that the new charge sheet had been served only on the morning of the hearing.
The case was adjourned to October 13.
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