Wontumi told me he would get 20year jail term before judgment was read – Lawyer Appiah-Kubi

Private legal practitioner Andy Appiah-Kubi has claimed that Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, knew in advance that he would be convicted in the Samreboi illegal mining case before the High Court delivered its judgment.

Speaking to Accra-based TV3, the former lawyer for Chairman Wontumi disclosed that his client had informed him of the expected outcome of the case, including the length of the prison sentence, before the judgment was read in open court.

“Chairman Wontumi had prior information that he would be convicted. He told me the content of the judgment. He told me that he would be jailed for twenty years,” Mr Appiah-Kubi said.

Despite this, the lawyer maintained that the court erred in imposing the sentence, arguing that it wrongly treated Chairman Wontumi and Akonta Mining Limited as one legal entity.

According to him, the evidence presented during the trial did not support the court’s conclusions.

“The evidence on the ground does not support the judgment. Per company law, the company is different from the owner or shareholder,” he argued.

Mr Appiah-Kubi said this legal issue would form a central ground of appeal against the conviction.

“This will form the basis of our appeal,” he stated.

He further disclosed that, anticipating the verdict, Chairman Wontumi had instructed him before the judgment was delivered to file an appeal if the court convicted him.

Chairman Wontumi was sentenced by the Accra High Court on July 20 to 20 years’ imprisonment with hard labour after being convicted on illegal mining-related offences.

In her 59-page judgment, Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay said the sentence was intended to serve as a deterrent against illegal mining and to highlight the seriousness of environmental crimes.

Although describing the offences as grave, the judge said she considered the fact that Chairman Wontumi and Akonta Mining were first-time offenders in determining the sentence.

She subsequently sentenced Chairman Wontumi to 20 years’ imprisonment with hard labour and imposed a fine of 10,000 penalty units, with a default sentence of three years’ imprisonment. He received the same sentence on count four, with the custodial terms to run concurrently.

Akonta Mining, the third accused, was fined 15,000 penalty units on counts three and six, while the custodial sentences imposed in the case were ordered to run concurrently.

-Ekow Annan/newsalertgh.com