The Accra High Court has been notified that the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Regional Chairman in the Ashanti region, Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, is pursuing a plea bargain in the current criminal case concerning purported fraud linked to the Ghana Export-Import Bank (EXIM Bank).
The Office of the Attorney-General officially informed the court of this new development in a filing dated June 11, 2026, revealing that the first accused individual had begun the process of plea negotiations.
In the case of Republic v Bernard Antwi Boasiako, also known as Chairman Wontumi, along with two others (Exim Bank Case), the accused, through his legal representatives, has formally reached out to the Attorney General to initiate plea negotiations regarding the charges brought against him.
This indicates that the accused is prepared to engage in an agreement, where he will plead guilty to the charges in exchange for the prosecution’s recommendation of either a reduced sentence, repayment of the money with interest, or a combination of both as a form of punishment.
The Honourable Attorney General has officially informed the Court in accordance with section I62C(3) of the Criminal & Other Offences (Procedure) (Amendment), Act 2022 (Act 1079).
The accused is confronted with four serious charges: defrauding by false pretenses, uttering a forged document, money laundering, and intentionally causing a financial loss to a public body amounting to GHc30,000,000 (GHc30 million).
Prosecutors claim that from 2018 to 2022, Bernard Antwi-Boasiako and Thomas Antwi-Boasiako deceitfully acquired GH¢14,302,000 from EXIM Bank by means of false pretenses, utilizing Wontumi Farms Limited as the conduit for the transaction.
The charge sheet also indicates that Chairman Wontumi purportedly submitted a counterfeit receipt to EXIM Bank officials, which was utilized to back an extra GH¢4 million facility.
He faces accusations of willfully profiting from funds that are claimed to have been fraudulently acquired, which underpins a money laundering charge.
Furthermore, the prosecution asserts that the defendants inflicted a financial loss surpassing GH¢30 million on EXIM Bank as a result of the transactions under scrutiny.
The court is poised to advance as it reviews the plea bargain notification, while the parties engage in negotiations within the applicable legal framework.
