By Grace Zigah
As the statutory deadline for plea negotiations draws closer, the Attorney-General’s Office has confirmed that no agreement has yet been reached in the high-profile EXIM Bank criminal case involving New Patriotic Party (NPP) Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, and two other accused persons.
Deputy Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Justice Srem-Sai, disclosed that negotiations between the prosecution and the defence remain inconclusive, despite the expiry of the legally prescribed 30-day period approaching next week.
In a Facebook post, Dr. Srem-Sai stated that while discussions are ongoing, the parties have not reached a plea bargain in The Republic v. Bernard Antwi-Boasiako & 2 Others, popularly referred to as the EXIM Bank trial.
The disclosure comes after the Accra High Court adjourned proceedings to July 27, 2026, to allow both sides additional time to continue negotiations aimed at resolving the criminal case through a plea agreement rather than a full trial.
The criminal proceedings stem from allegations that Chairman Wontumi, together with Thomas Antwi-Boasiako and another accused person, fraudulently secured financial facilities from the Ghana Export-Import (EXIM) Bank through Wontumi Farms Limited for a farming project.
According to the prosecution, between 2018 and 2022, the accused persons allegedly obtained approximately GH¢14.3 million from EXIM Bank by false pretences.
The Attorney-General further alleges that the accused submitted a forged receipt in support of an application for an additional GH¢4 million credit facility.
Prosecutors contend that the transactions resulted in financial losses exceeding GH¢30 million to EXIM Bank and have consequently charged the accused persons with multiple offences, including obtaining money by false pretences, fraudulent breach of trust and money laundering.
Chairman Wontumi and his co-accused have denied all the allegations. Rather than proceeding immediately to trial, they opted to enter plea negotiations with the Attorney-General’s Office, a legal process under the criminal justice system that allows the prosecution and accused persons to negotiate possible terms for resolving criminal proceedings, subject to court approval.
The latest update from Srem-Sai, however, indicates that despite weeks of discussions, the parties remain unable to reach common ground before the statutory deadline expires. The outcome of those negotiations will determine whether the matter proceeds to a negotiated settlement or returns to open court for trial.
The EXIM Bank prosecution is one of two major criminal cases currently confronting Chairman Wontumi.In a separate matter before the Accra High Court, he is standing trial alongside Akonta Mining Limited over allegations of illegally assigning mineral rights and facilitating unauthorized mining activities at Samreboi in the Western Region.
That case has also taken a dramatic turn after his lead counsel, Samuel Atta Akyea, filed a constitutional challenge seeking to halt judgment and refer key provisions of the Minerals and Mining Act to the Supreme Court for interpretation.
With both the EXIM Bank prosecution and the Samreboi mining case entering critical stages, Chairman Wontumi’s legal battles remain among the most closely watched criminal proceedings in Ghana.
Attention will now shift to July 27, when the High Court is expected to receive an update on the status of the plea negotiations and determine the next course of action in the EXIM Bank case.
