Andy Appiah-Kubi, the lead lawyer for NPP Ashanti chairman Bernard Antwi-Boasiako (Chairman Wontumi), has walked away from defending him in an illegal mining case for the second time in over a year, citing "unseen influences" compromising the trial's integrity. The departure comes as judgment is due July 3 and as Wontumi separately seeks plea negotiations in a fraud case involving the Ghana Export-Import Bank.
11 June 2026 · Joy Online →
Andy Appiah-Kubi, counsel for NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi-Boasiako (Chairman Wontumi), has withdrawn from one of the high-profile criminal cases involving his client pending before the High Court in Accra. The lawyer cited various concerns surrounding the judicial proceedings, including questions about fairness and the court's insistence on his personal appearance despite prior notification of scheduling conflicts.
11 June 2026 · Joy Online →
Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, Ashanti regional chairman of the opposition NPP and a businessman known as Chairman Wontumi, has asked prosecutors to negotiate a plea bargain in a multi-million-cedi bank fraud case related to Ghana Export-Import Bank. He is simultaneously fighting two other cases concerning alleged illegal mining and running for the NPP's national chairmanship.
11 June 2026 · Joy Online →
Legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has clarified that plea bargaining in Ghana's legal framework does not automatically mean admission of guilt, noting that negotiations between an accused person and the state can result in charge withdrawal, reduced sentences, or other outcomes beyond conviction.
11 June 2026 · Joy Online →
Andy Appiah-Kubi, lawyer for NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi Boasiako (Wontumi), says his client's initiation of plea bargain discussions in the GH¢14.3 million loan fraud case against Exim Bank does not constitute an admission of guilt, but rather an effort to resolve legal issues under Ghana's Criminal Procedure Act framework.
11 June 2026 · Joy Online →
Chairman Wontumi and two other accused have formally requested plea negotiations with the Attorney General's office in a GH₵30 million Exim Bank fraud case involving charges of defrauding by false pretenses, money laundering, and intentionally causing financial loss to a public body. Under Act 1079, a plea bargain allows an accused to plead guilty to lesser charges for a reduced sentence, subject to court approval and the Attorney General's assessment of evidence strength, state fund recovery, and public interest.
11 June 2026 · The Ghanaian Times →
Bernard Antwi-Boasiako (Chairman Wontumi), Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP, has formally requested plea negotiations with the Attorney-General in his trial over an alleged GH¢14.3 million loan fraud involving the Ghana Export-Import Bank. Wontumi and co-accused face charges of defrauding by false pretence, forging documents, money laundering, and causing financial loss to a public institution.
11 June 2026 · Joy Online →