WONTUMI PLEADS NOT GUILTY IN AMENDED EXIM BANK FRAUD CHARGE SHEET

He pleaded not guilty to charges of defrauding by false pretence, two counts of uttering a forged document, money laundering and intentionally causing financial loss to a public body when he appeared before the Accra High Court last Monday (October 12). According to the prosecution, Wontumi presented forged and altered documents to Exim Bank in January 2018 to secure funding for a proposed farming project. The prosecution alleges that the accused persons did not carry out the proposed farming activities, purchase agricultural plant and machinery or employ workers for the farm. It further alleges that they neither owned nor secured the parcel of land they had represented to the bank as available for the project. The prosecution also contends that Wontumi withdrew substantial sums from the bank accounts of Wontumi Farms Limited, the third accused, and used the funds for personal purposes, including investments in other businesses. Request for bail Counsel for the accused persons, Samuel Atta Akyea, did not oppose the application. Following the pleas, Mr Atta Akyea prayed the court to admit his client to bail, arguing that the dispute was civil in nature. Counsel also drew the court's attention to the fact that the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) had previously granted his client bail. The court adjourned the case to October 27, 2026, for the commencement of the Case Management Conference. Following the proceedings, he was returned to Nsawam Maximum Security Prison, where he is serving a 20-year sentence imposed by a differently constituted High Court in Accra. Background Mr Antwi-Boasiako is standing trial alongside Thomas Antwi-Boasiako, who is reported to be at large, and Wontumi Farms Limited over an alleged financial loss of more than GH¢30 million to Exim Bank. The prosecution alleges that Mr Antwi-Boasiako and Thomas Antwi-Boasiako obtained GH¢14.302 million from the bank in 2018 through false pretences. The case also concerns an allegedly forged document presented to the bank in connection with the purchase of agricultural machinery and allegations of money laundering and causing financial loss to the state.