Wontumi challenges EOCO’s handling of Exim Bank loan dispute

In a recent legal challenge, former NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi Boasiako, known as Chairman Wontumi, and his company, Wontumi Farms, have petitioned the High Court to halt the criminalization of a loan dispute involving Ghana Exim Bank. The plaintiffs argue that the matter should be addressed through civil proceedings, rather than criminal charges, which they claim are unfounded.

They are suing Ghana Exim Bank, the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), and the Attorney General for criminal offenses such as defrauding by false pretences, uttering a forged document, money laundering, and intentionally causing financial loss to the state. The core of the dispute centers around a loan exceeding GH¢18 million granted to finance a farming project, with Wontumi Farms using a 10,000-acre parcel as collateral and the chairman personally guaranteeing repayment.

The plaintiffs deny any criminal wrongdoing and seek a declaration that the dispute is a civil debt matter, ordering the bank to provide an account of the outstanding amount and recover the debt through existing legal avenues.

Brief written by urgent.news from MyJoyOnline Ghana's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.