The Accra High Court has ordered the prosecution to file disclosures within 14 days after plea bargain negotiations involving Chairman Wontumi in an alleged GH¢30 million EXIM Bank fraud case ended without an agreement.
Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, had been engaged in plea bargain discussions with the State for about a month, but the negotiations did not result in an agreement.
The development means the case is now expected to proceed to trial.
The negotiations ended after the State rejected a proposal put forward by Wontumi’s legal team.
Deputy Attorney-General Justice Srem-Sai had earlier indicated that the proposal did not adequately address the concerns of the prosecution.
“They made a plea proposal of what they want to offer. In our opinion, we are not satisfied, and so we intend to reject it.”
The State had said Wontumi’s team proposed making a payment to settle aspects of the case, but prosecutors considered the offer inadequate.
Following the failure to reach an agreement, the court ordered the prosecution to file its disclosures within 14 days.
The disclosure process requires the prosecution to provide the defence with the evidence and documents it intends to rely on at trial.
The process allows the accused and their lawyers to examine the prosecution’s case and prepare their defence, forming part of the fair-trial protections guaranteed under Article 19 of the 1992 Constitution.
Wontumi and his co-accused, Thomas Antwi-Boasiako, have pleaded not guilty to four charges: defrauding by false pretence, forgery, money laundering and intentionally causing financial loss to a public institution.
The prosecution alleges that the accused persons obtained about GH¢14.3 million from the Ghana Export-Import Bank between 2018 and 2022 through Wontumi Farms Limited for a farming project that was not undertaken.
The State further alleges that Wontumi submitted a forged receipt in support of an application for an additional GH¢4 million credit facility.
The accused persons have denied the charges.
The EXIM Bank case will now move forward, with the prosecution expected to file its disclosures within 14 days.
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