ACCRA HIGH COURT – ACCRA
The Accra High Court has given the prosecution and defence 30 days to conclude plea bargain negotiations in the GH$30 million alleged fraud case involving Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, also known as Chairman Wontumi, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Samuel Atta Akyea officially stated his presence as Chairman Wontumi’s lead attorney on Monday, replacing Andy Appiah-Kubi.
The court, presided over by Justice Halima El-Alawa Abdul Baasit, adjourned the case to August 27, 2026, for additional orders after both parties informed the court that plea discussions were underway.
Mr Atta Akyea informed the court that following talks with Deputy Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Dr Justice Srem-Sai, he was certain that the parties could come to an agreement through plea bargaining.
I’ve spoken with the Deputy Attorney General, and I respectfully believe we can negotiate a reasonable plea bargain in his office. He stated that, given the circumstances, he asked the court to extend the time so that they might conduct the exercise.
He requested the court delay the case until October to allow the parties enough time to finish their talks.
Prosecution
Dr Srem-Sai stated in response that the prosecution agreed that additional time should be allowed but recommended a 30-day adjournment rather than the 90 days sought by the defence.
He explained that while Section 162(c)(5) of the law enabled plea negotiation to go concurrently with trial proceedings, the prosecution was willing to waive that right because discussions were almost complete before they were interrupted.
We received an offer and made a counteroffer, which was scheduled to be completed last week, but the accused’s conviction in another case derailed the negotiations, he told the judge.
Chairman Wontumi was convicted and sentenced to 20 years in jail last week in a separate case involving illegal mining in Samreboi, Western Region.
Dr Srem-Sai stated that the conviction last week prevented the prosecution from consulting with the defendant and his counsel to finalise the talks.
He further indicated that the prosecution has not yet provided its disclosures and that postponing the process would prevent the disclosures from interfering with the plea talks.
We believe the new counsel will continue where we left off with the old counsel, he stated.
Defense
Mr. Atta Akyea agreed with the prosecutor’s request but asked the court to provide a longer reprieve so that the parties might finalize their discussions.
The Honourable Deputy Attorney General’s reasoning is sound, and I agree with him, with the exception that we are requesting that we return in October, when school is in session, and that the allegations have been dropped and we have reached an agreement. Two months from now should be favorable, he stated.
Ruling.
The court determined that the law allowed for plea bargaining to occur in conjunction with trial proceedings and stated that it would continue to be guided by the applicable statutory requirements.
Background
Chairman Wontumi, a current convict, and two others are on trial for a supposed GH¢30 million deal with the Ghana Export-Import (EXIM) Bank.
History
At the last hearing, the court allowed extra time for plea talks after both the prosecution and the defence informed it that discussions were ongoing. However, the talks stopped after Chairman Wontumi’s conviction in a separate illegal mining case and then restarted when a new defence counsel was appointed.
Source: Daily Graphic