Bernard Antwi-Boasiako pleads not guilty to GH₵30m GEXIM Bank fraud

Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, the prominent Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party known as Chairman Wontumi, has pleaded not guilty to five criminal charges involving a GH₵30 million facility from the Ghana Export-Import (GEXIM) Bank. Appearing before Justice Halimah El-Alawa Abdul-Baasit on October 12, 2026, the accused denied allegations of defrauding by false pretenses, forgery of documents, and money laundering. The prosecution alleges that Antwi-Boasiako utilized falsified paperwork to secure funding for a large-scale farming project that was never actually executed.

The court hearing proceeded following the submission of an amended charge sheet by the state. His legal counsel, led by Samuel Atta Akyea, maintained that the dispute is civil in nature rather than criminal. Atta Akyea argued that the case centers on a loan agreement and that the inability to repay should be resolved through financial reconciliation. The defense also revealed that earlier plea-bargaining negotiations with the state had collapsed after failing to reach mutually agreeable terms, reinforcing their stance that the matter is a commercial debt issue.

Despite an application for bail from his legal team, Antwi-Boasiako remains in custody as he is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for a previous, unrelated conviction. Justice Abdul-Baasit has adjourned the case to October 27, 2026, for a Case Management Conference. This trial continues to attract significant public interest due to the political profile of the accused and the substantial amount of state-owned capital involved in the allegations.