Wontumi’s bail application delayed as JUSAG strike disrupts court proceedings

Former Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, will have to wait longer to know whether he will be granted temporary release from prison while appealing his 20-year jail sentence.

The High Court was expected to deliver its ruling on an application for bail pending appeal filed by his lawyers on Wednesday. However, the court could not sit because of the ongoing nationwide strike by members of the Judicial Service Staff Association of Ghana (JUSAG) over salary-related concerns.

The application was first scheduled for hearing on August 19, 2026, but was postponed to October 15 after the presiding judge was unable to sit due to ill health.

When the matter came up on October 15, Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay adjourned proceedings to Wednesday for a ruling on the application.

However, JUSAG’s industrial action, which began on Monday, November 2, following an announcement last Friday, has disrupted court activities across the country, leaving litigants and other court users uncertain about when their cases will resume.

The Supreme Court remains the only court currently conducting hearings, as access to other courts has been restricted since the strike began.

JUSAG maintains strike action
JUSAG’s leadership has maintained a firm position on the industrial action, indicating that members will continue the strike until the dispute over their proposed salary adjustment is resolved.

In a statement issued on Monday, November 2, the Judicial Secretary, Musah Ahmed, said the Chief Justice had directed the Supreme Court to “convene for its normal business” on Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

“All counsel and parties with matters listed before the Court are advised to take note and govern themselves accordingly,” the statement added.

JUSAG had on Friday, October 30, declared an indefinite nationwide strike effective November 2 over the non-approval of its proposed 2026 salary review for Judicial Service staff.

The association has insisted that the industrial action will remain in force until the government provides a revised and improved salary approval that addresses its demands.

“We wish to inform staff and the public that the strike is still on. When a revised and improved approval is received from the Government and satisfies our demands, we shall inform the public on the status of the strike,” the statement added.

Wontumi challenges 20-year sentence
Chairman Wontumi was convicted and sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment on July 20, 2026, by the High Court presided over by Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay for mining-related offences.

His lawyers have since filed a notice of appeal outlining 19 grounds on which they are challenging the conviction.

The case involved allegations that he facilitated illegal mining activities by other persons on his company’s concession at Samreboi in the Western Region.

In support of the application for bail pending appeal, his lawyers argued that the conviction was affected by significant legal errors and that the circumstances of the case justified his temporary release.

“The conviction proceeded upon grave errors of law which substantially affected the outcome of the trial, and the appeal discloses several exceptional circumstances warranting the exercise of this Honourable Court’s discretion in favour of the Applicant,” a portion of the application stated.