Attorneys representing Bernard Antwi Boasiako, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), commonly referred to as Chairman Wontumi, have stated that they have not yet received any formal notification from the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) concerning allegations of a freeze on his bank accounts.
Recent news articles have suggested that the FIC has frozen all accounts associated with Chairman Wontumi and his business, Akonta Mining, due to purported financial misconduct.
The account freeze was reportedly executed in accordance with Section 56(1) of the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2020 (Act 1044), which grants the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) the authority to limit access to financial accounts when there is a reasonable suspicion of unlawful activity.
In response to these reports, Chairman Wontumi’s attorney, Andy Appiah-Kubi, informed Citi News that they have not received any official notifications from either the FIC or the banks involved. ‘We have only received this information from my client.
The directive indicates that the FIC has issued an order to freeze my client’s account. We anticipate being provided with the necessary documentation, at which point we will present our case. We intend to respond appropriately and defend my client’s interests.
The communication was relayed through the media and subsequently forwarded to me. We are currently awaiting the formal procedures to commence our defense,’ Appiah-Kubi elaborated.
He additionally revealed that preparations are in progress to contest the alleged revocation of Akonta Mining’s lease in court, with legal documents being prepared for submission. “We are currently working on the writ, and my responsibility is to review the draft before it is filed.
If we are prompt enough, we will manage to submit it this afternoon [April 24]; otherwise, it will be filed on Friday, April 25,” he stated. Chairman Wontumi and his mining activities have faced heightened public examination due to demands for increased transparency in the extractive industry.
