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Wontumi’s Accounts Frozen: FIC Targets Akonta Mining Over Alleged Money Laundering, Illegal Mining
The Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) has frozen all bank accounts linked to Akonta Mining and its owner, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, amid growing allegations of financial impropriety and illegal mining activities.
Chairman Wontumi, who also serves as the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), is at the heart of an ongoing investigation by the FIC. Sources within the agency confirmed to Daily Graphic that the freeze, carried out under Section 56(1) of the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2020 (Act 1044), follows reasonable suspicion of money laundering and other illicit financial activities.
The freezing order forms part of a broader national crackdown on financial crime. Over recent months, the FIC has intensified its enforcement actions, targeting individuals and corporate entities suspected of breaching anti-money laundering laws.
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A formal directive has been issued to all financial institutions to immediately halt any transactions involving Chairman Wontumi, Akonta Mining, and Hallmark Civil Engineering Limited, pending further instructions from the Centre.
“This is part of a national effort to sanitise the financial environment and cut the flow of illegal funds tied to environmental crimes and regulatory breaches,” a senior FIC official noted.
The action by the FIC follows a series of damning revelations and regulatory actions against Akonta Mining. The company has been accused of operating illegally in protected forest reserves in the Western North Region.
At a press briefing in Accra last Monday, Minister for Lands and Natural Resources Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah described Akonta Mining as a “criminal syndicate”. He said the company had conducted mining operations without proper authorisation, in violation of the Minerals and Mining (Amendment) Act, 2019 (Act 995).
This declaration came after a coordinated raid on six mining sites in the Samreboi enclave by security personnel and Forestry Commission officials. The operation led to the arrest of 51 illegal miners and the confiscation of 30 excavators and other heavy equipment believed to be used in illegal mining.
Chairman Wontumi’s dual role as a political powerbroker and mining executive has drawn intense public attention. The freezing of his accounts is seen as a bold move in the fight against “galamsey”—illegal mining—and political impunity.
The case has also renewed calls for transparency and accountability in Ghana’s mining sector, where illegal operations have devastated landscapes and polluted major water bodies.
While the FIC continues its investigation, pressure is mounting on law enforcement agencies to file formal charges if wrongdoing is established.
Legal analysts expect this probe to set a major precedent in how Ghana tackles financial crimes linked to natural resource exploitation. The outcome may also affect Chairman Wontumi’s political future and influence within the ruling party.
The FIC has promised to collaborate with other agencies and provide updates as the investigation unfolds.
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