Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has pleaded not guilty to four fresh charges, including intentionally misapplying over GH¢30 million.
Chairman Wontumi (First Accused), who represented Wontumi Farms Limited (Third Accused), denied all four charges when his plea was taken on Monday, May 18, 2026.
Thomas Antwi-Boasiako, the Second Accused, is on the run and being sought by investigators.
Chairman Wontumi is personally facing three of the four counts: the charge of defrauding by false pretence, contrary to Section 131 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29); uttering of a forged document, contrary to Section 169 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29); and money laundering, contrary to Section 1(2)(c) of the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2020 (Act 1044).
Together with Thomas Antwi-Boasiako and Wontumi Farms Limited, he is facing the charge of intentionally causing financial loss to a public body, contrary to Section 179A(2) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).
On Monday, May 18, 2026, his lawyers, led by Andy Appiah-Kubi, prayed for them to be granted bail as previously granted.
Deputy Attorney General Dr. Justice Srem-Sai did not oppose the grant of bail and urged the court to grant the prayer of the defence.
Justice Halimah El-Alawa Abdul-Baasit, after listening to the parties, directed that the accused persons should remain on their previous bail before the court differently constituted.
On October 7, 2025, Wontumi was granted bail in respect of the Samreboi case in the sum of GH¢15M and GH¢10 million in the Tano Nimire Forest case. It is these bail conditions the court said he should remain on.
The case has been adjourned to June 18, 2026, for a Case Management Conference.
Brief facts
Per the brief facts of the case accompanying the charges, the 1st Accused Person – Chairman Wontumi (A1), a 50-year-old entrepreneur, is a native of Kuntanase in the Ashanti Region.
It said he (Chairman Wontumi) is the sole shareholder and one of the two directors of the 3rd Accused Person, Wontumi Farms Limited (A3), while the 2nd Accused Person – Thomas Antwi-Boasiako (A2) – is the other director of A3, currently at large.
The brief facts state that A3, whose object is general farming, agricultural business, and processing, was incorporated and authorised to commence business on December 14, 2017.
It said that, sometime in January 2018, Chairman Wontumi (A1) approached the Ghana Export Import Bank for a grant of a nineteen million Ghana cedi facility to embark on a farming venture.
The brief facts stated that, in the grant application letter, Chairman Wontumi (A1), ostensibly as Wontumi Farms Limited’s (A3) Managing Director, declared that a parcel of land – 100,000 acres in size – had been secured for the project.
First letter
It said that accompanying the grant application letter are two documents and that the first is a letter titled ‘Board Resolution Letter’ and dated January 23, 2018, signed by Thomas Antwi-Boasiako (A2), who described himself as the Board Chairman of A3 (Wontumi Farms Limited).
The letter stated that the grant application was authorised by A3’s board of directors through a resolution passed on December 9, 2017 (four clear days before A3 was incorporated).
Second letter
It said the second document which accompanied the application is titled ‘Proposed Project for Wontumi Farms.’
It said that in this project proposal, the Accused Persons represented to the Bank that just 2,500 hectares (about 6,000 acres) of the farm project is estimated to employ about 6,000 families of about 38,000 individuals.
The facts said that on January 16, 2018, the Bank made a mixture of loan and grant facility offer to A3.
“It was an eighteen million, seven hundred and thirty-four thousand and two hundred and sixty Ghana cedis only (GH¢18,734,260.00) facility,” it said.
“It was to be spent on the purchase of agricultural plant and machinery, working capital, and a grant for staff and labour cost, and consultancy fees,” it stated.
It said that at 4:00pm on January 23, 2018, Chairman Wontumi (A1) signed the acceptance in Kumasi while Thomas Antwi-Boasiako (A2) witnessed it.
It said that by March 2018, the Bank commenced disbursing the facility to A3 (Wontumi Farms Limited).
It is the case of the Prosecution that a total sum of fourteen million, three hundred and two thousand Ghana cedis only (GH¢14,302,000.00) was disbursed.
“Investigations have, however, established that the Accused Persons did not undertake the proposed farming activity. They bought no agricultural plant and machinery,” the brief facts stated.
“They employed no one to work on the farm,” and “They did not own or secure the parcel of land which they represented to the Bank as a parcel of land secured for the proposed farm. That is not all.”
It said that, sometime in March 2018, Chairman Wontumi (A1) presented a document which bore ‘Receipt’ to the Bank.
Alter of documents
“A1 (Wontumi) presented the document as evidence that A3 had purchased four million Ghana cedis only (GH¢4,000,000.00) worth of agricultural plant and machinery for the farm.
“The Bank relied on the document to advance more funds to A3 for the farm project.
“The document was not a genuine purchase receipt at all. It was originally a pro-forma invoice issued by KAS-SAMA ENTERPRISE to A1 when A1 made price inquiries. A1 then undertook to return later to make the purchase.
“That was the last time that KAS-SAMA ENTERPRISE heard from or saw A1. Investigation has established that the inscription ‘Pro-forma Invoice’ on the document was altered and replaced with ‘Receipt’.
“Investigations have established that A1 withdrew huge sums of the funds from A3’s bank accounts and spent the same for his personal use, including investing such sums in other business enterprises.
“A1 (Chairman Wontumi)’s efforts by the Bank to recover the monies from the Accused Persons landed on rocks.
“So, in March 2025, officials of the Economic and Organised Crime Office of the Attorney-General commenced investigations into the affairs.
“A1 (Chairman Wontumi) was subsequently arrested and cautioned. On May 14, 2026, he was charged,” the brief facts stated.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
