The Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) has frozen all bank accounts associated with Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, and his mining company, Akonta Mining, amid ongoing investigations into suspected money laundering and financial irregularities.
Sources from the FIC confirmed to TV3 that this action was taken under Section 56(1) of the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2020 (Act 1044), which grants the Centre the authority to freeze accounts when there is reasonable suspicion of criminal financial activity.
A formal directive has been sent to all financial institutions to cease transactions involving Chairman Wontumi, Akonta Mining, and Hallmark Civil Engineering Limited, another company associated with him.
The freeze will remain in effect “pending further directives,” according to the notice.
This action is part of a broader investigation into illicit financial operations, with the FIC intensifying its enforcement efforts across multiple sectors.
Chairman Wontumi, who also serves as the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), has faced growing scrutiny following multiple controversies surrounding his mining operations.
Just days prior, on April 21, 2025, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, described Akonta Mining as a “criminal syndicate” during a press briefing.
He further accused the company of illegal mining activities in protected forest reserves and confirmed that its operating license had been revoked.
The FIC’s decision to freeze the accounts is seen as a significant escalation in the government’s crackdown on financial crimes, particularly within the extractive sector, where concerns about regulatory oversight have been mounting.
Chairman Wontumi has yet to make any public comment on the account freeze or the ongoing investigations.
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