A fresh plea bargain window has opened in the GH¢30 million fraud case involving Ashanti Regional New Patriotic Party (NPP) Chairman Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, widely known as Chairman Wontumi, after the High Court granted both the prosecution and defence 30 days to continue negotiations.
The directive reportedly came on Monday when the case returned before the High Court in Accra, with Justice Halima El-Alawa Abdul Baasit ordering both sides to use the period to conclude discussions before the matter returns on August 27, 2026, for further directions.
The hearing also marked a change in Chairman Wontumi’s legal representation. Former Abuakwa South MP Samuel Atta Akyea officially announced himself as lead counsel, replacing Andy Appiah-Kubi.
Addressing the court, Mr Atta Akyea disclosed that he had already held discussions with Deputy Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr Justice Srem-Sai, and believed both sides were well placed to settle the matter through plea bargaining.
“I have conferred with the Deputy Attorney-General and I humbly hold the view that we can do a reasonable plea bargaining in his chambers. In the circumstances, I pray the court to enlarge time to enable us undertake that exercise,” he submitted.
Although the defence sought an adjournment until October to allow ample time for the negotiations, the prosecution argued that a shorter extension would be sufficient.
Dr Srem-Sai told the court that while the law permits plea bargaining to continue alongside trial proceedings under Section 162(c)(5), the prosecution was prepared to suspend that process because negotiations had reached an advanced stage before they were unexpectedly interrupted.
“We have received an offer and we have made a counter-offer which we were supposed to conclude last week before the accused person’s conviction in another matter derailed the negotiations,” he told the court.
The interruption followed Chairman Wontumi’s conviction last week in a separate illegal mining case at Samreboi in the Western Region, where he was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment.
According to Dr Srem-Sai, that conviction prevented prosecutors from meeting Chairman Wontumi and his legal team to complete the ongoing discussions.
He further informed the court that the prosecution had deliberately held back its disclosures, arguing that filing them before the negotiations concluded could affect the plea bargaining process.
“We believe that the new counsel will pick up from where we left off with the previous counsel,” he added.
Mr Atta Akyea agreed with the prosecution’s explanation but maintained that the court should grant a longer adjournment to maximise the chances of reaching an agreement.
“The reasoning of the honourable Deputy Attorney-General is sound and I am in agreement with him, save to say that we are pleading with you that we come back in term time (October) and that the charges have been withdrawn and we have come to terms. Two months from now should be favourable,” he said.
After hearing both submissions, Justice Abdul Baasit observed that the legal framework anticipates plea bargaining running concurrently with trial proceedings. Nevertheless, the court granted a 30-day adjournment and scheduled the case for August 27, 2026.
Chairman Wontumi, now serving a prison sentence following his conviction in the separate illegal mining case, remains before the High Court alongside two other accused persons over an alleged GH¢30 million transaction involving the Ghana Export-Import (EXIM) Bank.
At the previous hearing, both the prosecution and defence had indicated that negotiations were progressing steadily, prompting the court to grant additional time. Those talks were later put on hold after Chairman Wontumi’s conviction before resuming following the appointment of Mr Atta Akyea as his new lead counsel.
