The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has been found guilty by the Criminal Court 4 Division of the High Court in Accra over illegal mining activities on Akonta Mining Company Limited’s concession at Samreboi in the Western Region.
Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay delivered the judgment after first dismissing a defence application seeking to defer the ruling and refer aspects of the case to the Supreme Court for constitutional interpretation.
Lawyer Charles Boakye, holding brief for lead counsel Samuel Atta Akyea, who was reportedly out of the country and expected to return on July 22, told the court the defence had filed the motion on July 16 requesting postponement and a constitutional referral. The court rejected the request, ruling it lacked merit, and proceeded to deliver judgment.
Chairman Wontumi, Akonta Mining Company Limited, and a co-accused, Kwame Antwi, who remains at large, were charged with assignment of mineral rights without ministerial approval and facilitating unlicensed mining operations, contrary to the Minerals and Mining Act. The offences carry a potential custodial sentence of up to 25 years.
The prosecution’s case centred on allegations that Akonta Mining permitted Henry Okum, referred to in court as PW2, to conduct mining operations on the Samreboi concession without the required ministerial approval. During proceedings on May 21, 2026, Chairman Wontumi denied authorising Okum to mine on the concession, telling the court their arrangement was strictly for land reclamation and coconut plantation activities.
The trial followed Chairman Wontumi’s appearance before the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service on October 6, 2025, after a directive from the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine.
