Bernard Antwi Boasiako, widely known as Chairman Wontumi, pleaded not guilty to five charges on Tuesday in connection with an alleged fraudulent GHC30 million loan from the Ghana Export-Import (Exim) Bank.
Mr Boasiako, who is standing trial alongside two others, was arraigned on a new charge sheet filed on September 22, 2026, regarding the loan obtained in 2018.
The charges include defrauding by pretence, two counts of uttering forged documents, money laundering, and intentionally causing financial loss to a public body.
The case has been adjourned to Tuesday, October 27, 2026, at 11 a.m. for a case management conference. The prosecution has been granted 14 days to file the relevant disclosures.
According to the prosecution, Mr Boasiako presented forged and altered documents to Exim Bank in January 2018 to secure funding for a proposed farming project.
Prosecutors allege that the accused failed to carry out the proposed farming activities, purchase agricultural machinery, or employ workers.
Furthermore, the state contends that the accused neither owned nor secured the parcel of land represented to the bank as available for the project.
The prosecution also alleges that Mr Boasiako withdrew substantial sums from the bank accounts of Wontumi Farms Limited, the third accused, and diverted the funds for personal investments and other purposes.
Mr Boasiako denied all charges. Following the proceedings, he was remanded to Nsawam Maximum Security Prison, where he is currently serving a 20-year sentence imposed by a differently constituted High Court in Accra.
