Wontumi submitted forged receipt to secure GHS4m loan – Ayine

The Attorney General, Dominic Ayine, has revealed that the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, submitted a forged receipt to the Ghana Export-Import (EXIM) Bank to secure a GH¢4 million loan for the alleged purchase of farming equipment.

Speaking at the Accountability Series on Monday, December 22, Mr Ayine said investigations by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) had confirmed that the receipt presented to the bank was fabricated.

According to the Attorney General, on March 18, 2018, Chairman Wontumi submitted a document from Casama Enterprise, claiming it was proof of payment for the purchase of equipment including bulldozers and excavators. However, investigations revealed that the document was not genuine.

EOCO’s findings showed that Chairman Wontumi had initially obtained a proforma invoice from Casama Enterprise with the intention of completing the transaction.

Instead of making a payment, he allegedly altered the document by replacing the word “invoice” with “receipt” and submitted it to EXIM Bank as evidence of payment after the loan had been disbursed.

Mr Ayine said the owner of Casama Enterprise confirmed to EOCO that no payment was ever madeand that the only document issued to Wontumi Ghana Limited was a proforma invoice.

“The owner of Casama Enterprise confirmed to EOCO investigators that the only document issued to Wontumi Ghana Limited, through Chairman Wontumi, was a proforma invoice and not a receipt,” he stated.

The Attorney General added that despite several attempts by Casama Enterprise to follow up on the transaction, Chairman Wontumi never returned to complete the purchase.

“He stated that he did not hear from Chairman Wontumi again despite repeated follow-up calls. The forged receipt submitted to EXIM Bank falsely suggested that Casama Enterprise had received 4 million GHS for the purchase of farming equipment and earth-moving machinery,” Mr Ayine said.

The Attorney General noted that the disclosure highlights the need for stronger controls in loan processing and greater accountability in public financial transactions.