The criminal case against Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Wontumi, is set to proceed after an Accra High Court directed the state to file its disclosures following the failure of plea-bargaining negotiations.
The Court on Thursday gave the prosecution 14 days to file the required disclosures, paving the way for a Case Management Conference scheduled for September 22, 2026.
The directive came after the prosecution and defence failed to reach an agreement through the plea-bargaining process initiated by Boasiako’s legal team.
Principal State Attorney, Reverend Joshua Sackey, informed the Court that efforts to reach a settlement had been unsuccessful and asked for permission to proceed with the filing of disclosures.
“We have not been able reach agreement in the plea bargaining. We seek the direction of the court to file our disclosures,” he told the Court.
Counsel for Boasiako, Samuel Atta Akyea, indicated that the defence remained of the view that plea bargaining could be pursued at any stage of the proceedings.
He argued that the continuation of the criminal case did not prevent the parties from exploring a negotiated settlement.
The trial judge, however, noted that the parties had already made two unsuccessful attempts at plea bargaining and that the 30-day period provided for the process had elapsed.
The Court therefore directed the state to file its disclosures within 14 days to allow the substantive proceedings to advance.
The case was adjourned to September 22 for the Case Management Conference, with Boasiako absent from Thursday’s proceedings.
Boasiako, a former Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), is facing charges connected to an alleged GH¢19 million loan obtained from EXIM Bank for a maize farming project.
According to the prosecution, the proposed 100-acre farming project was not undertaken, while documents were allegedly submitted in connection with the purchase of agricultural machinery valued at about GH¢4 million.
The prosecution further alleges that the loan facility subsequently increased to approximately GH¢30 million.
Boasiako is alleged to have committed the offences with an associate, Thomas Antwi Boasiako, who remains at large.
Boasiako, who is currently serving a prison sentence in connection with another matter, has denied the allegations against him.
With the plea-bargaining process failing to produce an agreement, the prosecution’s disclosure of its evidence now sets the stage for the next phase of the EXIM Bank fraud case.
