Chairman Wontumi hot as FIC freezes all his bank accounts over galamsey

The Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) has taken strong action against Mr. Bernard Antwi Boasiako, also known as Chairman Wuntumi, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), freezing all of his bank accounts.

This action comes after allegations of financial irregularities connected to his mining company, Akonta Mining.

3news.com reported that the freeze was carried out in accordance with Section 56(1) of the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2020 (Act 1044), which gives the FIC the authority to impose restrictions on account access in cases where there is a plausible suspicion of illegal financial conduct.

The FIC formally directed banking institutions that all transactions involving Hallmark Civil Engineering Limited and Akonta Mining, be immediately stopped “pending further directives.”

The action is a part of a larger probe involving possible financial malfeasance, including money laundering.

Since the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources ordered his mining business to cancel its operating license, Chairman Wontumi has been under increasing public scrutiny.

At a press conference on Monday, April 21, 2025, Lands Minister Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah called Akonta Mining a “criminal syndicate” and accused the company of illegally mining protected forest reserves.

The FIC’s most recent action highlights the agency’s stepped-up efforts to fight financial crime in Ghana. Targeting people and businesses suspected of violating anti-money laundering regulations, the Center has recently increased enforcement efforts.

Chairman Wontumi’s accounts being frozen is seen as a major step forward in the government’s larger fight against financial wrongdoing and corruption in the natural resources industry.