Minority Caucus calls Wontumi's conviction travesty of justice

The Minority Caucus in Parliament has described the conviction of Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), and Akonta Mining Limited by the High Court in Accra, as a travesty of justice.

Madam Patricia Appiagyei, the Deputy Minority Leader, addressing the Parliamentary Press Corps in Accra on Tuesday, said the Caucus would employ every legal means available to ensure justice was served.

“The Minority will do whatever is lawfully and properly within its power, through Parliament and public advocacy, to see that justice is done and that the defects which have robbed this judgment of its legitimacy are corrected,” Madam Appiagyei assured.

Madam Appiagyei, also the Member of Parliament for Asokwa, stated that while the Caucus supported accountability and the fight against illegal mining, the judgment raised serious constitutional concerns.

The Minority cited denial of counsel of choice, refusal to refer constitutional questions to the Supreme Court, improper piercing of the corporate veil of Akonta Mining Limited, and selective justice in the prosecution of illegal mining cases.

The Minority observed that the ruling threatened the integrity of Ghana's justice system and called for consistency in the application of the law.

The Caucus urged the Attorney-General to publish the State's enforcement record on illegal mining across the political spectrum and called on the Court of Appeal to review the judgment.

It maintained that the case was not about defending one individual but about safeguarding constitutional order and ensuring equal justice for all citizens.

GNA