New Patriotic Party (NPP) Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi has been sentenced to 20years in prison in hard labour.
This comes after he and Akonta Mining Company Limited were found guilty on all six counts in the Samreboi illegal mining case.
The judgment, delivered by Justice Audrey Kocuvie Tay on Monday, July 20, found Wontumi, his company and the second accused person, Kwame Antwi, who remains at large, guilty of offences relating to the unlawful assignment of mineral rights and purposely facilitating unlicensed mining operations within Akonta Mining's concession at Samreboi in the Western Region.
During mitigation, counsel for Chairman Wontumi urged the court to temper justice with mercy, describing his client as a law-abiding citizen who complied fully with the trial process.
The defence lawyer told the court that Wontumi attended proceedings throughout the trial, is married and serves as the breadwinner of his family, and therefore deserved the court's leniency in sentencing.
According to the prosecution, Wontumi, as owner and controlling director of Akonta Mining Company Limited, permitted Henry Okum and Michael Gyedu Ayisi to undertake mining operations within the company's concession in 2024 without first obtaining the mandatory written approval of the Minister responsible for mining.
The prosecution further argued that the accused persons facilitated unlicensed mining activities within the concession, contrary to the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), as amended by the Minerals and Mining (Amendment) Act, 2019 (Act 995).
Court documents stated that investigations began after a special anti-galamsey operation by the Ghana Police Service in April 2025 at Samreboi, during which 29 suspects were arrested.
Police also retrieved firearms, ammunition, suspected gold, excavators, vehicles, motorcycles, mining equipment and GH¢157,000 in cash from the concession.
Investigators said Henry Okum admitted obtaining permission from Wontumi to undertake mining activities within the concession, while further investigations established that the required ministerial approval for the arrangement had not been obtained.
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Comments
Congratulations. Ghana has reached an important milestone in its long struggle against corruption, and the sentencing of Chairman Wontumi to twenty years in prison marks a turning point in the nation's pursuit of justice. For decades, powerful individuals escaped accountability while ordinary citizens suffered the consequences of illegal mining, environmental destruction, and economic exploitation. Today's ruling shows that under President John Mahama, the judiciary is finally empowered to...