Convicted Ashanti Regional NPP Chairman Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has sent a message of appreciation to his former lead counsel, Andy Appiah Kubi, who recently withdrew from his legal team.
Dr. Palgrave Boakye-Danquah, a lecturer at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), and spokesperson for Wontumi, revealed the gesture after Wontumi appeared before the High Court in Accra on July 27, 2026, in connection with his GEXIM Bank case.
He said Wontumi asked him to relay his gratitude to Appiah Kubi, who handed over his case dockets to lawyer Samuel Atta Akyea shortly before the NPP chairman’s conviction.
Appiah Kubi has since withdrawn entirely from representing Wontumi in the ongoing GEXIM Bank matter.
“He said I should let him know that he appreciates what he has done for him,” Dr. Boakye-Danquah said.
He added that he passed the message on directly.
“So yesterday, I spoke to Lawyer Andy Appiah Kubi and told him what Wontumi had said,” he said, noting that Appiah Kubi was in Koforidua on another case at the time, prompting his secretary to deliver the dockets to Atta Akyea in court.
Wontumi is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence after Criminal Court 4 of the High Court convicted him on all six charges linked to illegal mining activities at Samreboi in the Western Region.
Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay, delivering judgment on July 20, 2026, ordered the terms to run concurrently and imposed a 10,000-penalty-unit fine on each count. Akonta Mining Limited, also convicted on two counts, was fined 15,000 penalty units per count.
Wontumi and Thomas Antwi-Boasiako, a director of Wontumi Farms Limited, are also standing trial over allegations that they defrauded GEXIM Bank of over GH¢14.3 million using false pretences.
Prosecutors further accuse Wontumi of forging documents to secure an additional GH¢4 million and laundering part of the proceeds, allegedly costing the state more than GH¢30 million. He has pleaded not guilty to all four counts.
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