By Daniel Bampoe
Wontumi Farms Limited and its director and shareholder, Bernard Antwi-Bosiako, have filed a suit at the High Court in Accra against the Ghana Export-Import Bank (GEXIM), the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) and the Attorney-General, challenging the prosecution of the plaintiffs over a disputed agricultural loan.
The plaintiffs are seeking a declaration that Criminal Case No. CR/0429/2026, involving the Republic, Bernard Antwi-Bosiako, Thomas Antwi-Bosiako and Wontumi Farms Limited, has been improperly transformed from what they describe as a civil debt matter into a criminal case.
According to the Statement of Claim, Wontumi Farms, a commercial farming company based in Kumasi, applied for and was granted a medium-term loan of GH¢18,734,260 in January 2018 to support the cultivation of corn on a commercial basis.
The company says it secured the facility with a 10,000-acre farmland at Asare Nkwanta Nsuta in the Ashanti Region, while GEXIM also obtained a legal charge over the company’s fixed assets. Antwi-Bosiako, meanwhile, allegedly provided a personal guarantee for repayment in the event of default.
The plaintiffs further claim that GEXIM agreed to insure the commercial farming operation because of the risks associated with rain-fed agriculture.
They contend that poor agricultural yields prevented the company from generating sufficient funds to repay the facility and that the bank subsequently restructured the loan.
The suit states that in September 2018, four rivers near the farm—Kyerenta, Dida, Fiiwa and Abram—overflowed their banks, causing what the plaintiffs describe as a major flood that affected the commercial farm and resulted in a huge harvest loss.
The plaintiffs say they brought the flooding to GEXIM’s attention and were assured that the relevant insurance policy would be activated to provide compensation.
However, they claim GEXIM later lodged a criminal complaint with EOCO against Antwi-Bosiako. He allegedly denied wrongdoing during investigations.
The Statement of Claim says the Attorney-General subsequently arraigned the plaintiffs on May 15, 2026, on charges including defrauding by false pretences, uttering a forged document, money laundering and intentionally causing financial loss to a public body.
The charges were amended on September 22, 2026.
Wontumi Farms is now asking the High Court to order an account of the amount allegedly outstanding, determine whether the collateral and insurance cover are sufficient to settle the debt, and direct GEXIM to apply those securities toward the loan.
The plaintiffs also seek costs, including lawyers’ professional fees, on a full indemnity basis. The claims remain allegations before the court.
