News
Attorney-General questions equipment purchases in Exim Bank loan case
The Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Dominic Ayine, has disclosed troubling findings from investigations into a loan facility granted by the Ghana Exim Bank to Wontumi Farms Limited, a company linked to Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi.
At the Government Accountability Series, Mr. Ayine said investigations showed that Chairman Wontumi did not buy any equipment with funds disbursed to him under the loan agreement, even though the money was released for that specific purpose.
He explained that under the terms of the loan, all equipment purchased was supposed to be registered in the joint names of Ghana Exim Bank and Wontumi Farms Limited.
However, this did not happen because no equipment was bought. According to him, investigators were also unable to trace any of the equipment Mr. Boasiako claimed he had purchased.
The Attorney-General revealed that although Chairman Wontumi submitted receipts to Exim Bank as proof of purchase, the documents were later found to be forged.
During interrogation, Mr. Boasiako told investigators that he bought what he described as “secondhand brand new” equipment and insisted that all receipts and related documents had been submitted to the bank.
Ghana Exim Bank has denied this claim. The bank stated that neither Wontumi Farms Limited nor Chairman Wontumi submitted any genuine documents covering the purchase of the required equipment, apart from the forged receipts identified during investigations.
Mr. Ayine provided further details, explaining that as part of the loan application process, Wontumi Farms Limited submitted a proforma invoice to Exim Bank on December 15, 2017.
The invoice listed farm equipment such as tractors, combine harvesters, corn seeder machines and wellington boots, which were to be used to execute the project.
He said the loan application was for GHS18 million and was meant to support maize cultivation on 100,000 acres of land, while also creating jobs for the youth.
After the loan was processed, Exim Bank demanded proof that the equipment had been purchased.
On March 18, 2018, Chairman Wontumi submitted a document from Kas-Sama Enterprise, indicating the purchase of equipment valued at GHS4 million.
However, investigations showed that the items listed on the document included a bulldozer and an excavator, which raised further questions.
Mr. Ayine disclosed that Chairman Wontumi had earlier approached Kas-Sama Enterprise, an industrial equipment dealer, and obtained an invoice with a promise to return later to complete the purchase.
According to the Attorney-General, Chairman Wontumi never went back to buy the equipment. Instead, he altered the invoice by removing the word “invoice” and replacing it with “receipt,” making it appear as though payment had been made.
This forged receipt was then submitted to Exim Bank as proof that the equipment had been purchased after the loan disbursement.
The owner of Kas-Sama Enterprise confirmed to investigators that the only document issued to Wontumi Farms Limited was an invoice, not a receipt.
He also said he never received any payment and did not hear from Chairman Wontumi again, despite making several follow-up calls.
Investigators also noted that the so-called receipt stated “50 days to supply and 1 year guarantee and service,” which clearly indicated that the document was a proforma invoice and not evidence of payment.
Mr. Ayine also raised concerns about the status of Wontumi Farms Limited at the time the loan application was submitted.
He said that although the company applied for the GHS18 million loan in December 2017 and submitted what was described as a board resolution, the company had not yet been registered.
Investigations established that Wontumi Farms Limited was incorporated on December 14, 2017, and issued a certificate to commence business on the same day.
This meant the company did not exist at the time the loan application was submitted by its sole shareholder and director.
The Attorney-General said the findings raise serious concerns about the use of public funds and form part of government’s broader efforts to promote transparency and accountability under the Government Accountability Series.
By: Jacob Aggrey
The family of Ambassador James Victor Gbeho, a distinguished statesman and diplomat, has paid a courtesy call on President John Dramani Mahama. They officially informed him of his passing.
The delegation, representing the Gbeho family, noted that it was culturally and diplomatically important to formally notify the President of the loss before making a public announcement of his death.
Ambassador Gbeho was a towering figure in Ghanaian and international politics. He served in many diplomatic missions, including New York. He was Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, a Member of Parliament for the Anlo constituency, and President (formerly Executive Secretary) of the ECOWAS Commission.
He was widely respected for his role in regional integration and his contributions to global diplomacy at the United Nations.
President Mahama expressed his condolences and shared reflections on Ambassador Gbeho’s contributions to the country, West Africa and the world.
Funeral details will be announced later.
The Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, has revoked all firearm permits in Ghana with immediate effect and announced a new registration process for all gun owners.
The minister made the announcement on Tuesday, June 23, at the information service department saying all individuals who currently hold licences to own firearms or sidearms must undergo a fresh registration process.
“From this afternoon, all permits that have been granted to any individual that you are holding a sidearm or firearm is hereby revoked,” Mr Muntaka said.
He explained that the government had identified gaps in the country’s firearm registration system and needed to introduce stricter measures to improve public safety.
“We are opening the window where everyone will have to come forward again to register or re-register the gun because we’ve changed the procedure,” he stated.
According to him, the government decided not to wait until the end of the year to make the changes because lives could still be saved within the next six months.
The Interior Minister said one of the new requirements would be mandatory mental health screening for applicants seeking firearm licences.
“We’ve seen that people with mental health have already gone through and have the sidearm. Now we are introducing mental health. Before we give you the sidearm, we have to be sure that you have the mental stability to hold the firearms,” he said.
Mr Muntaka also announced that applicants would be required to undergo drug tests before being granted licences.
“We’ve also realised that people who are on drugs are also holding their arms and they are legitimate because it’s been registered. Now you have to go through drug tests to be sure that you are not on drugs before you can hold sidearms,” he added.
The minister said the new measures form part of efforts by the government to tighten firearm control and prevent legally registered weapons from falling into the wrong hands.
He urged all firearm owners to cooperate with the new registration process once details of the exercise are announced.
By: Jacob Aggrey
