FIC freezes Chairman Wontumi’s bank accounts over suspected financial misconduct

Amid claims of money laundering and financial irregularities, the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) has frozen all bank accounts connected to Chairman Wontumi, whose real name is Bernard Antwi Boasiako, and his mining firm, Akonta Mining.

The move was done in accordance with Section 56(1) of the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2020 (Act 1044), which gives the Center the authority to freeze accounts in cases where there is a reasonable suspicion of unlawful financial activity, according to FIC sources who spoke to TV3.

The FIC ordered an immediate stop to all transactions involving Chairman Wontumi, Akonta Mining, and another connected company, Hallmark Civil Engineering Limited, in a directive sent to banking institutions.

The freeze is to remain in effect “pending further directives,” the notice stated.

The FIC is stepping up enforcement in a number of areas, and this development is a part of a larger probe into alleged unlawful financial activity. Following a series of scandals involving his mining company, Chairman Wontumi, who is currently the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), has come under increased investigation.

Days earlier, on April 21, 2025, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, called Akonta Mining a “criminal syndicate” in a news conference.

He said that the company’s license had been canceled and accused it of engaging in unlawful mining activities in protected forest areas.

The FIC’s most recent action is seen as a significant step up in the government’s fight against financial crimes, especially in the extractive industry, where regulatory supervision has been questioned.

Chairman Wontumi has not yet made any public remarks regarding the current investigations or the account freeze.