Ghanaian boxer and social commentator Braimah Kamoko, popularly known as Bukom Banku, has said President John Mahama should not be blamed for Chairman Wontumi’s 20-year prison sentence, arguing that the NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman’s own actions led to his conviction.
“President Mahama is neither a lawyer nor a judge. He is not the one who sentenced Chairman Wontumi to 20 years in prison; rather, it was his own illegal mining activities that led to the sentence.
Therefore, people should stop blaming President Mahama for Wontumi’s conviction,” Bukom Banku said.
His comments come as the NPP continues to frame Wontumi’s conviction as a politically motivated attack on the party, with General Secretary Justin Kodua Frimpong describing him as a “political prisoner” and confirming plans to appeal.
The High Court’s Criminal Division 4, presided over by Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay, found Chairman Wontumi guilty on all six counts relating to the Samreboi mining concession, ruling that he and his company, Akonta Mining Limited, had permitted mining activities without the required ministerial approval.
Legal commentator Martin Kpebu has separately dismissed Wontumi’s defence, that the arrangement was solely for land reclamation, as a “cock-and-bull story” that fell apart under the weight of the evidence presented at trial.
Bukom Banku’s remarks add a rare voice of separation from the presidency in an increasingly polarized political debate over the case, one that has drawn contributions from NPP leadership, legal analysts, and clergy alike.
Watch the video HERE.
