Dr Palgrave Boakye-Danquah, a lecturer at the University of Professional Studies, Accra, UPSA, and spokesperson for convicted Ashanti Regional NPP Chairman Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, says Wontumi has expressed his appreciation to his former lead lawyer, Andy Appiah Kubi.
According to Dr Boakye-Danquah, Wontumi asked him to thank Appiah Kubi when he appeared before the High Court in Accra on July 27, 2026, in connection with his ongoing Exim Bank case.
Appiah Kubi had earlier withdrawn from representing Wontumi and handed the case over to lawyer Atta Akyea.
Dr Boakye-Danquah said Wontumi specifically asked him to thank Appiah Kubi for his dedication and legal representation during his various court cases.
“He said I should let him know that he appreciates what he has done for him. He asked me to convey that message.
“So yesterday, I spoke to Lawyer Andy Appiah Kubi and told him what Wontumi had said. Appiah Kubi had travelled to Koforidua to handle a different case, so his secretary brought all the case dockets to Lawyer Atta Akyea in court,” he said.
Chairman Wontumi was sentenced to 20 years in prison after Criminal Court 4 of the High Court found him guilty on all six charges brought against him.
In a judgment delivered on Monday, July 20, 2026, Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay ordered the sentences to run concurrently.
The court also fined Wontumi 10,000 penalty units on each of the six counts.
Akonta Mining Limited, which was also convicted on two counts, was fined 15,000 penalty units on each count.
The convictions were secured under the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), as amended by the Minerals and Mining (Amendment) Act, 2020 (Act 995).
Chairman Wontumi, Akonta Mining Limited, and a third accused person, Kwame Antwi, were prosecuted over alleged illegal mining activities on the company’s concession at Samreboi in the Western Region.
The prosecution alleged that the accused unlawfully assigned mineral rights on the concession without the approval of the sector minister and facilitated mining activities without the required authorisation.
GEXIM Bank trial
Separately, Chairman Wontumi and Thomas Antwi-Boasiako, a director of Wontumi Farms Limited, are standing trial over alleged fraud involving the Ghana Export-Import Bank, GEXIM.
Prosecutors allege that the two used false pretences to obtain GH¢14,302,000 from the bank.
Wontumi is also accused of forging a document to secure an additional GH¢4,000,000 and laundering part of the funds. The prosecution further alleges that the transactions caused a financial loss of more than GH¢30 million to the state.
He has pleaded not guilty to four counts of defrauding by false pretence, forgery, money laundering, and intentionally causing financial loss to a public body.
According to the prosecution, Wontumi applied in January 2018, as Managing Director of Wontumi Farms Limited, for a GH¢19 million facility to finance a farming project.
The application included a board resolution that was said to have authorised the loan.
However, investigators allege that the resolution was dated January 23, 2018, but referred to a board resolution supposedly passed on December 9, 2017. This was four days before Wontumi Farms Limited was incorporated on December 14, 2017.
The application also stated that the company had secured 100,000 acres of land and that the first phase of the project would employ about 6,000 families, representing about 38,000 people.
On January 16, 2018, GEXIM approved a combined loan and grant facility of GH¢18,734,260 for agricultural machinery, working capital, staff costs, and consultancy services.
By March 2018, the bank had disbursed GH¢14,302,000 to Wontumi Farms Limited.
The prosecution further alleges that Wontumi later submitted a document marked “Receipt”, claiming that the company had purchased GH¢4,000,000 worth of agricultural machinery.
The bank then released additional funds based on the document.
Investigators, however, allege that the document was not a genuine receipt but a pro-forma invoice issued by KAS-SAMA Enterprise after Wontumi had asked about the prices of equipment.
They further allege that the words “Pro-forma Invoice” were changed and replaced with the word “Receipt.”
According to the prosecution, investigations also found that none of the proposed farming activities was carried out.
It alleges that no agricultural machinery was purchased, no workers were employed, and the land presented to the bank as secured for the project had not been acquired or leased by the company.
Instead, prosecutors claim Wontumi withdrew large amounts of money from the company’s bank accounts and used the funds for personal purposes, including investments in other businesses.
The allegations remain before the court, and Chairman Wontumi has denied any wrongdoing.
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