The Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dominic Ayine, has said efforts by Bernard Antwi Boasiako, widely known as Chairman Wontumi, to access public funds included pressuring Ghana Exim Bank to release money earmarked for farm workers who investigators later confirmed did not exist.
Addressing a press briefing in Accra on December 22, the Attorney-General explained that Wontumi Farms Limited was enrolled under the Mining Alternative Livelihoods Initiative, which required beneficiary companies to submit a verified database of farmhands so their wages could be paid electronically.
As part of that arrangement, Exim Bank contracted Eban Capital Limited to design a biometric payment system for workers expected to be employed on a proposed maize farm at Asare Nkwanta in the Ashanti Region.
According to the Attorney-General, the process stalled when Wontumi Farms failed to provide the workers’ database. Investigators later established the reason was simple. “There were no farmers working on the land,” he said. Despite this, Chairman Wontumi allegedly pushed for the release of GH¢400,000 in salary payments, demanding that the funds be paid directly to the company in cash.
“He claimed the youth involved in illegal mining were not used to electronic payment systems and preferred cash,” the Attorney-General said, adding that the explanation formed part of what he described as a wider pattern of misrepresentation.
Subsequent investigations found no evidence of farming activity at the site and no records of any workers being engaged. Authorities concluded that the loan facility was obtained under false pretences.
The Attorney-General said the state will proceed to prosecute Wontumi Farms and its directors for allegedly defrauding Exim Bank, committing forgery, and causing financial loss to the state in excess of GH₵24 million.
“These are not mere breaches of a contract,” he stated. “They constitute acts of criminality by no means a person other than the regional chairman of the then ruling party.”
He disclosed that the total loss to the state stands at GH₵24,225,735, representing the principal loan amount together with accumulated interest.
Investigators also uncovered that Wontumi Farms secured a separate GH₵4 million loan from Exim Bank using what authorities say were forged documents. Chairman Wontumi allegedly submitted a document presented as a receipt from Casama Enterprise to back the loan application. The paperwork claimed payment had already been made for heavy-duty agricultural and industrial machinery, including bulldozers and excavators.
However, EOCO’s investigation determined that the document was not a valid receipt but a proforma invoice that had been altered. The word “invoice” was changed to read “receipt” before being submitted to the bank as proof of payment. The owner of Casama Enterprise later confirmed that no money had been paid and that only a proforma invoice had ever been issued to Wontumi Ghana Limited.
Although Wontumi Farms reportedly assured the bank that the equipment purchase would be completed, investigators found the transaction was never concluded. The altered document nonetheless claimed Casama Enterprise had received the full GH₵4 million, a claim authorities say was false.
Investigations revealed that Wontumi Farms secured a GH₵4 million loan from EXIM Bank using forged documentation. Chairman Wontumi allegedly submitted a falsified receipt, purportedly issued by Casama Enterprise, to support the loan application. The receipt claimed payment had been made for heavy-duty farming and industrial equipment such as bulldozers and excavators.
EOCO’s probe found that the document presented to EXIM Bank was not an official receipt but a proforma invoice. The word “invoice” had been altered to read “receipt,” which was then submitted as proof of payment. The owner of Casama Enterprise later confirmed that no payment had been made and that only a proforma invoice had been issued to Wontumi Ghana Limited.
Despite assurances from the company that the purchase would be completed, the transaction was never finalised, and the forged receipt falsely claimed Casama Enterprise had received the full GH₵4 million.
