Leaders of Ghana’s predominant opposition get together have requested prosecutors to strike a plea deal in a multi-million cedis financial institution fraud case, a courtroom submitting revealed on Thursday. It is a new turning level for a person whose authorized troubles have been a take a look at of the federal government’s anti-corruption marketing campaign as he battles all types of prices.
Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, the Ashanti regional chairman of the New Patriotic Celebration (NPP) and a rich businessman identified throughout Ghana merely as Chairman Wontumi, is combating three separate prison instances within the Excessive Courtroom in Accra. Two issues are suspicions of unlawful mining. The third case, filed in Could 2026, is accused of defrauding the state-owned Export-Import Financial institution of Ghana.
He’s beefing up this authorized protection whereas operating for the NPP’s high organizational publish, nationwide chairman, in an inside election geared toward rebuilding the get together after its defeat in 2024. He introduced his candidacy in February, introduced his marketing campaign group in Could, and says the newest incident won’t derail his ambitions. Contests, trials, and plea offers at the moment are unfolding concurrently.
In a discover filed on Thursday and signed by Deputy Lawyer Basic Sreem Sai, prosecutors informed the courtroom that Ms Wontumi’s lawyer Andy Appiah Kubi wrote a letter on June 5 asking it to enter right into a plea discount within the Export-Import Financial institution case. The request was filed underneath part 162C(3) of the Prison and Different Offenses (Process) Act, the legislation governing plea bargaining in Ghana.
The transfer is notable as a result of Lawyer Basic Dominic Aine has spent a lot of final 12 months publicly refusing to shut a deal within the Wontumi mine case, and comes simply weeks earlier than the decide is scheduled to rule on guilt or innocence within the first of those instances.
a type of reversal
For Aine, the newest plea settlement is just like the place she took in October 2025, when she informed the general public within the Authorities Accountability sequence that she had been provided a deal within the Wong Tumi subject however had declined all of them.
“I had affords, however I turned all of them down,” he mentioned on the time. He mentioned those that need a deal ought to say so in open courtroom quite than in non-public in his workplace. “If you would like a plea deal, let the decide know. That is my technique proper now.”
It has additionally rejected a plea deal of 38 million cedis reportedly linked to Wontumi’s camp, which prosecutors see as an try to refund the quantity and keep away from a full prison trial, in line with authorized analysts cited by Ghanaian media. Mr Aine has utilized the identical logic elsewhere, placing ahead comparable proposals in different scandals within the nationwide service system.
Wontumi’s attorneys spent months denying any deal was on the desk. Final October, Appiakubi mentioned the case had not but reached a stage the place a plea deal would make sense and that talks had been untimely. Earlier this month, the protection despatched a letter to the lawyer common, doing precisely what Aine had hoped for. In different phrases, it took the declare to a proper court-supervised course of quite than to a backroom.
It’s unclear whether or not Aine will settle for something. The submitting reveals that negotiations have begun. It doesn’t promise situations to the nation.
financial institution incident
The Export-Import Financial institution indictment, dated Could 15, names Wontumi because the prime suspect, together with Wontumi Farms Ltd. and Thomas Antwi-Boasiako, who prosecutors say are on the run. The three males are charged with 4 counts of fraud by false pretenses, issuing solid paperwork, cash laundering and deliberately inflicting monetary loss to a public authority. Wontumi pleaded not responsible on Could 18.
In line with prosecutors, Wontumi Farms informed banks in 2018 that it utilized for a facility price about 19 million cedis and secured about 100,000 acres of land to arrange a large-scale agricultural enterprise. Investigators say that did not occur. The financial institution permitted GHS 18.7 million cedis and made funds of about GHS 14.3 million, however prosecutors declare it didn’t buy land, plant crops, buy gear or make use of any employees.
In line with the state, Wontumi then altered the proforma invoices into pretend receipts to withdraw a further 4 million cedis, and the cash was diverted for private use. Together with curiosity and different money owed, prosecutors estimate the financial institution’s losses at greater than GHS30 million.
If discovered responsible, Wontumi will face severe circumstances. Underneath Ghana’s Prison Offenses Act, fraud by false pretenses is a second-degree felony punishable by as much as 25 years in jail, forgery by as much as 10 years, and cash laundering by 10 to twenty years in jail.
The incident is a part of Operation Reclaim All of the Loot, a authorities marketing campaign to recuperate allegedly stolen public funds, an effort that supporters solid as an overdue accountability and critics downplay as a political scalp hunt.
mining incident
The 2 older instances focus on Akonta Mining, an organization managed by Wontumi.
Within the first case, he, the corporate and director Kwame Antwi are charged with six offenses associated to the Samleboi pursuits within the Western Area. Three of the costs are primarily based on the Minerals and Mining Legislation, and three are prices of transferring mineral rights with out the minister’s approval, and three are prices of selling unauthorized mining. He pleaded not responsible and was granted bail of 15 million cedis.
The protection concluded the case on June 3. The decide requested each side to submit written addresses by June seventeenth and set a July third sentencing date. Mr. Wontumi’s attorneys pointed to video footage through which the protection claimed unlawful mining was being carried out on concessions owned by others with out the defendant’s path, and argued that the prosecution had didn’t make its case.
Within the second case, Wontumi and 4 others had been charged with seven offenses over mining within the Tano Nimri Forest Reserve, together with unauthorized mining, abetting the felling of timber and building of buildings throughout the forest reserve. The state withdrew the case after one of many defendants, Akonta common supervisor Edward Akuoko, agreed to testify for the prosecution. Bail on this case was set at 10 million cedis.
politics and cash
The prosecutor’s workplace is hardening its stance alongside get together traces. Haruna Mohamed, deputy common secretary of the NPP, argued that if something goes incorrect with import-export loans, the accountability lies with the banks, not the debtors, and accused Mr. Aine of making an attempt to criminalize opponents earlier than a courtroom ruling. “The Ashanti Regional Chairman didn’t make a reckless option to go to a financial institution and select a mortgage,” he mentioned.
Aine insists he’s performing with out political path. “I am not underneath any strain from any quarter to chop again on enterprise,” he mentioned in October, including that neither the president nor his chief of employees had been counting on him.
Mr Wontumi refused to let the incident delay his candidacy for the get together management. On June 8, he revealed on Asempa FM’s Ekoshiisen program that the authorized battle won’t deter his ambitions for the chairmanship, characterizing the years of authorized and political battles as preparation for management. “With this, a brand new Wontumi has been born,” he mentioned, vowing to sacrifice the whole lot for the NPP’s victory in 2028. He mentioned he’s the primary Ashanti regional chairman to imagine the nationwide chairmanship.
The incident additionally put monetary pressure on Wontumi. The Excessive Courtroom refused to unfreeze his company and private accounts, leaving a reported GHS50 million in money, treasury payments and insurance coverage funds frozen. Bail situations require him to give up his passport, keep off a listing of border ports of name and report frequently to investigators.
what occurs subsequent
The Export-Import Financial institution case will return to courtroom for a case administration convention on June 18, however is at the moment overshadowed by the plea deal introduced Thursday. Judgment on the Samreboi mine is scheduled to happen on July 3. Between these two dates, a lot of Wontumi’s instant future and the measure of the federal government’s anti-corruption credibility will probably be determined.
